AMA Posts Over 30 Proposed PLA Codes (May CPT Vote)

On April 10, 2019, AMA posted over 30 proposed new PLA codes for public comment.  Public comment is brief; apply to AMA right away to get a copy of an application of interest to you and comment to the committee by April 18.   The AMA PLA committee will deliberate until April 24, and the codes will be voted on by the AMA CPT Editorial Panel in Chicago on May 10.   The final codes will be posted July 1 and active October 1.

• PLA PDF agenda here.
• PLA home page here.
• PLA calendar page here.
• The web page for the May CPT meeting is here, including the agenda of all regular (non PLA) codes proposed.

What are PLA Codes?

PLA codes are special rapidly issued AMA CPT codes for lab tests that are offered in the USA and are either proprietary, FDA-approved, or both.   

Will these codes enter the June 2019 CMS pricing meeting?

If last year is precedent, PLA codes from this cycle will be included in the June 2019 CMS crosswalk/gapfill meeting for pricing new lab codes.  (Here).  

How Many Recent PLA Codes?

From August 2018 to March 2019, AMA created approximately 52 PLA codes, and if all 35 new codes are created in May, as many as 87 PLA codes will enter the June crosswalk/gapfill meeting.