SARS-CoV-2 Billing Code Announced

A new CPT® code has been announced by the American Medical Association (AMA) that streamlines novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 testing offered by hospitals, health systems, and laboratories in the USA.

The CPT Editorial Panel approved the 87635 code at a special, expedited meeting held, via telephone, on Friday, March 13, 2020.

This new CPT code is effective March 13, 2020, for use as the industry standard for reporting of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 tests across the nation’s health care system.

• Code: 87635
• Description: Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]), amplified probe technique
• Date:  March 13, 2020, CPT 2021

“In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPT Editorial Panel has expedited approval of a unique CPT code to report laboratory testing services that diagnose the presence of the novel coronavirus,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., in a press release. 

“The new CPT code assigned to the test for the novel coronavirus provides analytical advantages for tracking, allocating and optimizing resources as testing ramps up in the United States.”

This coronavirus is causing COVID-19 disease in people around the world. As of March 16, 2020, data sources indicate that 162 countries have reported 175,203 cases and 6,713 related fatalities.

To review and download the full CPT code descriptor release, please visit this AMA link.

The CPT Editorial Panel, the independent body convened by the AMA, has sole authority to manage revisions to the CPT code set. The development, review, and approval of the new CPT code involved broad input from practicing physicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other experts.

SARS-CoV-2 outbreak news published by Coronavirus Today.