The American Medical Association (AMA) announced the release of the 2019 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set, with changes reflecting new technological shifts in the industry.
According to the AMA, there are 335 code changes in the new CPT edition reflecting the CPT Editorial Panel and the healthcare community’s “combined annual effort to capture and describe the latest scientific and technological advances in medical, surgical and diagnostic services.”
Among this year’s changes to CPT include three new remote patient monitoring codes that reflect how healthcare professionals can more effectively and efficiently use technology to connect with their patients at home and gather data for care management and coordination. Also, two new interprofessional internet consultation codes have been added to reflect the increasing importance of using non-verbal communication technology to coordinate patient care between a consulting physician and a treating physician, according to AMA.
“The CPT code set is the foundation upon which every element of the medical community—doctors, hospitals, allied health professionals, laboratories and payers—can efficiently share accurate information about medical services,” AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, M.D., said in a statement. “The latest annual changes to the CPT code set reflect new technological and scientific advancements available to mainstream clinical practice, and ensure the code set can fulfill its trusted role as the health system’s common language for reporting contemporary medical procedures. That’s why we believe CPT serves both as the language of medicine today and the code to its future.”
McAneny added that the AMA has urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to adopt the new codes for remote patient monitoring and internet consulting and designate the related services for payment under federal health programs in 2019. “Medicare’s acceptance of the new codes would signal a landmark shift to better support physicians participating in patient population health and care coordination services that can be a significant part of a digital solution for improving the overall quality of medical care,” she said.
In July, as part of CMS’ proposed Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program rule, the agency recommended various provisions that would aim to support access to care using telecommunications technology, such as: paying clinicians for virtual check-ins, paying clinicians for evaluation of patient-submitted photos; and expanding Medicare-covered telehealth services to include prolonged preventive services.
New CPT category I codes are effective for reporting as of Jan. 1, 2019. Additional CPT changes for 2019 include new and revised codes for skin biopsy, fine needle aspiration biopsy, adaptive behavior analysis, and central nervous system assessments including psychological and neuropsychological testing.
