AMA publishes a running update of new active PLA codes. This is the update published July 1, 2025, for codes considered in 2Q2025.
Note that AMA provides an evergreen link and it will change quarter to quarter.
https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/cpt-pla-codes-long.pdf
There are 25 new codes 0575U-0599U, so we're on the brink of having 600 PLA codes.
Where Did "SLIDE" Codes Go?
On April 14, 2025, AMA released the submitter's text for all PLA codes enrolled for consideration in April/May. This list included two codes about "slides:"
- Oncology (lung), augmentative algorithmic analysis, digitized hematoxylin and eosin stained slides from lung cancer formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue, whole slide imaging of histologic features for seven molecular biomarkers, including pathogenic or likely pathogenic alterations in ALK, BRAF, EGFR, ERBB2, MET, RET, ROS1, reported as increased or decreased probability for each biomarker
- Oncology (endometrial), augmentative algorithmic analysis, digitized hematoxylin and eosin stained slides from endometrial cancer formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue, whole slide imaging of histologic features for five molecular biomarkers, including MSI-High status and presence of pathogenic or likely pathogenic alterations in CTNNB1, POLE, PTEN, TP53, reported as increased or decreased probability for each biomarker
However, on the July 1 final codes release, there are no codes containing the word "slide." Possibly the Fall 2025 AMA code book, for 2026, will contain clarification of policy for slide-based PLA codes.
Existing slide-based codes include 0108U, 0220U, 0261U, 0295U, 0376U, 0414U, 0418U, 0512U, 0513U. 513U was created July 1, 2024, and effective since October 1, 2024. All the codes 376U-513U are $706 at CMS.
Duplicate PLA's Are Allowed
One of the oldest codes is 0035U, prion protein, shaking assay, from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center. AMA has issued a duplicate code as 0584U, which is the same descriptor for a test run at the Mayo CSF laboratory and called RT-QUIC Prion. Duplicate codes (from different labs) get an odd symbol which looks like two parenthesis placed back-to-back. See the odd symbol to the left of the black dot below.
Nerd Note - normally, the quarterly new PLA codes are a surprise. But the July 1 ones are never a surprise, because they were finalized about May 10 and were already included and released in the agenda of the June 2025 public comment meeting for pricing new codes at CMS.
