News: AMA adds CPT codes for COVID-19 testing

The American Medical Association (AMA) has expanded its Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set to include four new codes for COVID-19 testing. The new codes include:

• 86408, Neutralizing antibody, SARS-CoV-2; screen
• 86409, Neutralizing antibody, SARS-CoV-2; titer
• 0225U, Infectious disease pathogen-specific DNA and RNA, 21 targets including SARS-CoV-2, amplified probe technique, including multiplex reverse transcription for RNA targets, each analyte reported as detected or not detected
• 0226U, Surrogate viral neutralization test, SARS-CoV-2, ELISA, plasma, serum

The new codes are effective immediately, according to the AMA document, and are part of the list of approved COVID-19 related CPT codes.

The AMA noted in the coding guidance document that prior to this update, no CPT codes existed for reporting tests measuring a patient’s COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies or related to the use of a cellular reporting system to measure live virus infection of cell in culture.

The previously existing CPT codes for COVID-19 antibody testing do not account for tests that determine whether antibodies present can directly block infection of cells. The new codes, however, are used to report tests that determine if the antibodies present can block the COVID-19 virus infection.

Editor’s note: Click here to read the AMA updates CPT coding guidance. Click here to read the full list of COVID-19 related CPT codes. To read all of ACDIS’ coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.