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S83.30 ICD-10-CM Code: Tear of articular cartilage of unspecified knee, current

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — see the character table on this page
Tabular directives
7 inclusion terms · 11 Excludes2 · 1 code-also instruction

Code Overview

Tear of articular cartilage of unspecified knee, current is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S83.30). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Official Tabular Instructional Notes

Sequencing, inclusion, and exclusion notes published for S83.30 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list.

Notes without a marker are published on S83.30 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Includes

Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.

  • avulsion of joint or ligament of knee
  • laceration of cartilage, joint or ligament of knee
  • sprain of cartilage, joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic hemarthrosis of joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic rupture of joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic subluxation of joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic tear of joint or ligament of knee

Source: inherited from S83

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Code Also

Additional codes that may be required to fully describe the encounter.

  • any associated open wound

Source: inherited from S83

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S83"

  • A — initial encounter
  • D — subsequent encounter
  • S — sequela

How the encounter character is assigned. “Initial encounter” means the patient is receiving active treatment for the condition — it is not limited to the first visit, and a different or new provider giving active treatment still assigns it. “Subsequent encounter” covers care during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment. “Sequela” is for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of the original condition.

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.19.a (paraphrased by MedCoder).

Variant codes in this family

S83.30XA, S83.30XD, S83.30XS

Character meanings are CMS's official 7th-character extensions for this family, as carried in each variant code's official description; variant codes are registry rows. The explanation of how the encounter character is assigned is MedCoder editorial, distinct from the official content above it.

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Tear of articular cartilage of unspecified knee, current

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Decision Points

The directives on this code's own record, as a pre-claim checklist.

  1. A 7th character applies in this family. Confirm the documented encounter matches the character assigned. See the official 7th-character definitions and this code’s variants
  2. 1 Code Also note — a second code may apply; the guidelines leave its sequencing to the circumstances of the encounter. See the Code Also notes
  3. 11 Excludes2 entries — those conditions are not part of this code and may be reported additionally when documented. See the Excludes2 notes

Checklist rows are derived from this code's own official directives; the wording of each check is MedCoder editorial. The official notes themselves are in the sections each row links to.

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

Other codes that name S83.30 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 2 Excludes2 notes across 2 chapters: M23 — Internal derangement of knee (via S83.-), S86 — Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at lower leg level (via S83.-).

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Related Codes

Same condition, opposite side

Same category and title, differing only in which side of the body is affected.

S83.31 — Tear of articular cartilage of right knee, current (right)Compare S83.30 vs S83.31 →, S83.32 — Tear of articular cartilage of left knee, current (left)Compare S83.30 vs S83.32 →

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Rupture, ruptured”, “Tear, torn”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

S37.19 — Other injury of ureter (ureter), S37.29 — Other injury of bladder (bladder, traumatic), S37.39 — Other injury of urethra (urethra, traumatic), S37.69 — Other injury of uterus (uterus), S37.828 — Other injury of prostate (prostate), S43.42 — Sprain of rotator cuff capsule (rotator cuff, traumatic, capsule), S46.01 — Strain of muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of shoulder (rotator cuff, traumatic), S53.2 — Traumatic rupture of radial collateral ligament (traumatic, ligament, radial collateral), S53.3 — Traumatic rupture of ulnar collateral ligament (traumatic, ligament, ulnar collateral), S63.30 — Traumatic rupture of unspecified ligament of wrist (traumatic, ligament, wrist), S63.31 — Traumatic rupture of collateral ligament of wrist (traumatic, ligament, wrist, collateral), S63.32 — Traumatic rupture of radiocarpal ligament (traumatic, ligament, wrist, radiocarpal), S63.33 — Traumatic rupture of ulnocarpal (palmar) ligament (traumatic, ligament, wrist, ulnocarpal), S63.39 — Traumatic rupture of other ligament of wrist (traumatic, ligament, wrist, specified site NEC), S63.40 — Traumatic rupture of unspecified ligament of finger at metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint (traumatic, ligament, finger), S63.41 — Traumatic rupture of collateral ligament of finger at metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint (traumatic, ligament, finger, collateral), S63.42 — Traumatic rupture of palmar ligament of finger at metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint (traumatic, ligament, finger, palmar), S63.43 — Traumatic rupture of volar plate of finger at metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint (traumatic, ligament, finger, volar plate), S63.49 — Traumatic rupture of other ligament of finger at metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint (traumatic, ligament, finger, specified site NEC, ring), S63.499 — Traumatic rupture of other ligament of unspecified finger at metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joint (traumatic, ligament, finger, specified site NEC), +162 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of S83.30 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Nearest codes (40)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Clinical Guidance

Can S83.30 be billed directly?

No. S83.30 (Tear of articular cartilage of unspecified knee, current) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Does S83.30 require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S83.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to S83.30 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the S83 family