Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Very Brief Blog: Navigating the AMA CPT Calendar

Although I know the AMA puts a lot of work into designing and redesigning its website, I still feel that finding things can be a bit of an adventure.  Here are some current entry points.


"Editorial Panel Meetings & RUC Calendar"

This is a master webpage for CPT Editorial meetings and the RUC (valuation) meetings.  It lists the next couple CPT or RUC meetings by date and provides a fairly elaborate 9-column PDF calendar for both CPT and RUC key deadlines.  This is the only place I see a notice that the September 15-17 CPT will be in Seattle.  

Webpage: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/cpt-editorial-panel/cpt-editorial-panel-ruc-meetings-calendar

Big PDFhttps://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/cpt-ruc-calendar.pdf


"Summary of Panel Actions"

This gives you brief summaries of all CPT codes and how they were disposed at the prior (and all prior) CPT meetings.

https://www.ama-assn.org/about/cpt-editorial-panel/summary-panel-actions


"Editorial Process Calendar"

This page gives you a range of key CPT information, such as code application deadlines and special early dates relevant to pathology code applications (due to the multiple working groups that meet early).

The next CPT application deadline is June 15 (for September meeting) then November 2 (for February 2023 meeting).

https://www.ama-assn.org/about/cpt-editorial-panel/cpt-editorial-panel-meeting-process-calendar


CPT Editorial - Rolling Announcements

This page seems to hold a range  of rolling announcements about CPT Editorial.  Notably, this is where they announce the website for the upcoming meeting's registration.   That web page - the registration web page for the next meeting - can be hard to find.

https://www.ama-assn.org/about/cpt-editorial-panel


Registration and Agenda for the Upcoming May 2022 Meeting (Chicago)

May 12-14, find it here:  https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/cpt/cpt-may-2022-editorial-panel-meeting

The May 2022 meeting is listed as "virtual or in person" but on the registration link the In Person meeting is listed as "closed."   Getting to the meeting webpage may require (free) AMA email registration.   The webpage includes a full agenda of all codes in play for the next meeting and how to comment in advance on them.

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Bonus.  The early release schedule, and online PDF descriptions, for Category III codes are here. Codes passed in Feb and May are released July, active January.   For October codes, release January, active July.  While CMS doesn't assign RVUs to Cat III codes, it does always assign them an APC category in the hospital outpatient system.

https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/cpt/category-iii-codes