AMA Announces New CPT Guidance During COVID-19 Pandemic

Furthering its work to support physicians on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced new coding guidance to assist physicians and medical practices in using CPT to properly report medical services provided to COVID-19 patients. 

This authoritative guidance from the curators of CPT provides special coding advice and outlines 11 scenarios to help health care professionals apply best coding practices for office, telehealth, or online services provided to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes a quick-reference flowchart that outlines CPT reporting for COVID-19 testing and a new AMA web page devoted to information on CMS payment policies and regulatory flexibilities related to COVID-19.

“Equipping a health care workforce to accurately code medical procedures streamlines communication across the health system, reducing administrative and rework costs at a time when resources are stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD. “The AMA’s new special coding advice provides guidance to the right audience at the right time in a format that is easily grasped by users.”

Today’s release adds to the growing list of essential tools and resources the AMA has designed to help physicians navigate the urgent public health crisis facing the country. These resources are easily accessible on the AMA’s website where physicians can also find the latest guidance on how to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19.  

Other new COVID-19 physician and practice resources released by the AMA include the following:

• a summary of CMS payment policies & regulatory flexibilities during COVID-19 emergency includes key actions taken by Medicare officials in response to AMA advocacy;
• a Physicians Guide to COVID-19, to help physicians prepare their practices, address patient concerns, and provide answers to physicians’ top questions;
• an AMA COVID-19 online resource center, and a COVID-19 FAQ that are updated each day with the latest information on the COVID-19 epidemic;
• a Quick Guide to Telemedicine in Practice, a new resource to help physicians implement remote care which can help achieve a dramatic increase in the nation’s telemedicine capacity;
• the AMA Journal of Ethics published ethical guidance for physicians to help them in making determinations about how to combat COVID-19;
• the JAMA Network COVID-19 Resource Center for evidence-based, actionable resources, plus videos of firsthand accounts from physicians on the front lines;
• CME for physicians through the JAMA Network’s JN Learning website, including COVID-19 epidemiology, infection control, and prevention recommendations. 

The AMA will continue to release additional resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support physicians and the patients they care for.

— Source: American Medical Association