The American Medical Association is expediting the creation of a Current Procedural Terminology code for reporting tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
A new code will be discussed at a special CPT Editorial Panel meeting during the week of March 9. The panel plans to decide on a code and its effective date.
"Moving as quickly as possible to put in place a CPT code for a novel coronavirus test will bolster a data-driven response to the COVID-19 disease outbreak in the United States," AMA President Patrice Harris, MD, said in a prepared statement March 10. "By streamlining the flow of information on novel coronavirus testing, a new CPT code facilitates the reporting, measuring, analyzing, researching, and benchmarking that is necessary to help guide the nation's response to the public health emergency."
CMS has released two codes for tests related to COVID-19, set to take effect April 1 for dates of services Feb. 4 onward: U0001 for the CDC's test and U0002 for commercial testing.