• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Behavioral Health
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • AI
    • Blockchain
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Life Sciences
  • Investments
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage

AMA Adds New CPT Codes Multi-Virus Tests to Detect COVID-19 and Flu

by Fred Pennic 10/07/2020 Leave a Comment

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print
AMA Approves 2 New CPT Codes to Support Response to COVID-19

What You Should Know:

– AMA announces new CPT codes for multi-virus tests to detect COVID-19 and flu for immediate use.


 The American Medical Association (AMA) today published an update to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set that includes new code additions and editorial revisions for reporting medical services sparked by the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The update to the CPT code set was approved by the CPT Editorial Panel, the independent body convened by the AMA with the authority to review and approve proposed additions and revisions to the CPT code set. The new additions and revisions to the CPT code set have been approved for immediate use.

“Two of the newly approved codes report nucleic acid assays that allow a single test to simultaneously detect the novel coronavirus and a combination of common viral infectious agents, including influenza A/B and respiratory syncytial virus,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D. “Concurrent detection promises to conserve important testing resources, allowing for ongoing surveillance of influenza while testing for the novel coronavirus.”

New CPT Codes

For quick reference, the new category I CPT codes and long descriptors are:

87636: Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) and influenza virus types A and B, multiplex amplified probe technique

87637: Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]), influenza virus types A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus, multiplex amplified probe technique


CPT Editorial Panel Revisions

The CPT Editorial Panel also revised CPT codes ranging from 87301 to 87430 by removing the undefined term “multi-step method” from code descriptors. The revision clarifies the proper reporting for antigen tests that are read by a machine, as compared to those which can be visually interpreted without a machine. This revision affects the newly developed descriptor for CPT code 87426.

87426: Infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay technique, (eg, enzyme immunoassay [EIA], enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], fluorescence immunoassay [FIA], immunochemiluminometric assay [IMCA]) qualitative or semiquantitative; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (eg, SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19])

In accordance with the above revision, the CPT Editorial Panel approved a new category I code, 87811, to report infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay with direct visual observation.

87811: Infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay with direct optical (ie, visual) observation; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19])

In addition to the long descriptors, short and medium descriptors for CPT codes 87636, 87637, 87426 and 87811 can be accessed on the AMA website, along with several other recent modifications to the CPT code set that have helped streamline the public health response to the SAR-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease.


  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Tagged With: AMA, American Medical Association, dna, Public Health, Revenue Cycle Management

Tap Native

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Featured Interview

Reach7 Diabetes Studios Founder Chun Yong on Reimagining Chronic Care with a Concierge Medical Model

Most-Read

Epic Launches Comet: A New AI Platform to Predict Patient Health Journeys

Epic Launches Comet: A New AI Platform to Predict Patient Health Journeys

Preparing for the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’: How Digitization Can Streamline Medicaid Eligibility & Social Care Delivery

Preparing for the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’: How Digitization Can Streamline Medicaid Eligibility & Social Care Delivery

Evernorth Health Services Invests $3.5B in Shields Health Solutions

Evernorth Health Services Invests $3.5B in Shields Health Solutions

KLAS Report: Oracle Health Faces Customer Losses and Declining Satisfaction

KLAS Report: Oracle Health Faces Customer Losses and Declining Satisfaction

Tempus AI Acquires Digital Pathology Leader Paige for $81.25M

M&A:Tempus AI Acquires Digital Pathology Leader Paige for $81.25M

Mira Launches Ultra4™, the First At-Home Hormone Monitor with Lab-Quality Insights

Femtech: Mira Launches Ultra4™, the First At-Home Hormone Monitor with Lab-Quality Insights

How Healthcare CIOs Can Solve the Unstructured Data Crisis and Reduce Storage Costs

How Healthcare CIOs Can Solve the Unstructured Data Crisis and Reduce Storage Costs

Healthcare C-Suite Acknowledges AI Potential but Lacks Trust

Sage Growth Partners Report: Healthcare C-Suite Acknowledges AI Potential but Lacks Trust

EVERSANA and Waltz Health Merge to Redefine Pharmaceutical Commercialization

EVERSANA and Waltz Health Merge to Redefine Pharmaceutical Commercialization

Advancing Diabetes Care: Combating Burnout and Harnessing Technology

Advancing Diabetes Care: Combating Burnout and Harnessing Technology

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Submit An Op-Ed
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2025. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |