Date Posted: Friday, January 03, 2025

 

Advancements in medical technologies, procedures, and innovative treatments have driven significant updates in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) 2025 code set. Published annually by the American Medical Association (AMA), CPT serves as the national standard for reporting medical procedures and services, enabling efficient data exchange across the healthcare system.

 

AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D., highlighted the importance of these updates, stating:

 

“The CPT code set is the foundation for the efficient and effective exchange of standardized information in a data-driven health system. It facilitates reporting, measuring, analyzing, researching, and benchmarking medical services to improve patient care, outcomes, and costs. The latest updates reflect contemporary clinical practices and ensure the CPT code set remains the trusted universal language of medicine.”

 

Highlights of CPT 2025

 

The 2025 CPT code set introduces 420 total updates, including:

 

• 270 new codes
• 112 deletions
• 38 revisions

 

The updates emphasize growth in emerging areas of medicine, with proprietary laboratory analyses—primarily for novel genetic testing—accounting for the largest share (37%) of new codes. Additionally, Category III CPT codes for developing medical services contributed to 30% of the additions.

 

The Editorial Process

 

Changes to the CPT code set are overseen by the CPT Editorial Panel, an independent body managed by the AMA. This panel gathers input from across the healthcare community to ensure the code set reflects the latest advancements in medical science and technology. The editorial process ensures CPT remains the trusted language for current medical practices and a framework for future innovations.

 

Key Updates in CPT 2025

 

Digital Medicine

 

Updates to Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM):

• Code 98975 has been updated to include digital therapeutic intervention.
• Codes 98976–98978 now encompass device supply for data access or transmission supporting RTM for patient care.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

 

The AI Taxonomy, introduced in 2023, has been integrated into Category III CPT codes to classify AI-driven medical services as:

• Assistive
• Augmentative
• Autonomous

New codes have been added for AI-assisted procedures, including:

• Electrocardiogram measurements (0902T, 0932T)
• Medical chest imaging (0877T–0880T)
• Image-guided prostate biopsy (0898T)

 

General Surgery

 

Updates to the general surgery section address advancements in:

• Skin grafts for wound care (15011–15018)
• Tumor removal techniques in the abdomen (49186–49190)

 

Conclusion

 

The CPT 2025 updates underscore the AMA's commitment to ensuring the code set evolves with modern medicine, fostering improved efficiency and patient outcomes across the healthcare system.

 

Source: AMA