Juvenile arthritis, unspecified, left shoulder

This code signifies a diagnosis of juvenile arthritis affecting the left shoulder, where the specific type of juvenile arthritis is not documented. It indicates chronic inflammatory joint disease with onset before 16 years of age, localized to the left shoulder joint.

Use this code when the medical record clearly states juvenile arthritis of the left shoulder, but the physician has not specified the particular subtype (e.g., oligoarticular, polyarticular, systemic). Documentation should confirm the diagnosis of juvenile arthritis and explicitly mention involvement of the left shoulder.

• Always attempt to query the provider for a more specific type of juvenile arthritis if not documented, as more specific codes exist.
• Do not use this code if the laterality is not specified or if a different joint is affected.
• Consider sequencing this code with any associated pain codes or functional impairment codes, if documented.