The American Medical Association (AMA) released the 2019 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set in an announcement made on September 5th. "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." said AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, M.D.
The new CPT edition will have 335 code changes which won't be effective until January 1st, 2019, but the AMA releases these changes 4 months prior to their effective date to allow the medical community time to transition and learn the new codes. " 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,” said Dr. McAneny.
One of the most notable and quite possibly the most important change in the CPT edition is the addition of three new remote patient monitoring codes and two new interprofessional internet consultation codes. The monitoring codes allow health care professionals to connect with their patients at home in order to gather data for care management and coordination. The consultation codes are for non-verbal communication between a consulting physician and treating physician to coordinate patient care.
These changes are just another reminder of how technology is changing the way doctors interact with each other, and with their patients.
The AMA has been urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service to adopt these new remote codes and designate the related services for reimbursement 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." Dr. McAneny said.
Although the remote code changes are significant, they are not the only changes that were made. The 2019 CPT edition also includes new and revised codes for skin biopsy, fine needle aspiration (FNA), adaptive behavior analysis and central nervous system assessments including psychological and neuropsychological testing.
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