AMA releases CPT 2026 code set, adds codes for health AI

The latest update to the Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT, code set will enable healthcare providers to better document technology-enabled care, like remote patient monitoring, medical services augmented by artificial intelligence and digital health services.

Released earlier today, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced 418 total changes to the CPT code set for 2026, including 288 new codes, 84 deletions and 46 revisions to existing codes. Most new codes -- 27% -- represent new proprietary laboratory analyses, while Category III CPT codes for emerging medical services accounted for another 27% of new codes for next year, AMA reported.

AMA also highlighted the addition of CPT codes for digital health services.

In 2026, clinicians will be able to use the code set to document for shorter duration remote patient monitoring, including monitoring for two to 15 days within a 30-day period. Two new codes also describe remote monitoring management after 10 minutes of service per calendar month, representing a new area versus the previous 20-minute threshold.

Additionally, AMA added several new codes for health AI services that "augment physician capabilities and improve patient care." For example, AMA added CPT codes for AI-augmented coronary atherosclerotic plaque assessment and perivascular fat analysis for cardiac risk. Meanwhile, the CPT 2026 code set will also have new codes for AI-assisted services, including multi-spectral imaging for burn wounds and detection of cardiac dysfunction.

The CPT 2026 code set will also have 12 new codes for hearing device services, such as training and support for patients using personal devices, such as smartphones, to connect to their hearing devices, and a code overhaul for leg revascularization.

New Category I CPT codes will be effective for use on Jan. 1, 2026.

Described by the AMA as "the uniform language of medicine," the CPT code set is a standardized list of descriptions and codes for identifying and documenting medical, surgical and diagnostic services and procedures by healthcare professionals. The codes document patient encounters for charts but are also vital to claims processing and reimbursement, particularly in Medicare.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule assigns relative value units (RVUs) to CPT codes developed by the AMA. The RVUs assigned to a code are then multiplied by the annual conversion factor to determine the national average fee for a covered clinical service that year.

However, CMS recently indicated a shift away from using AMA's Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) to influence Physician Fee Schedule rates, saying the physician survey data RUC uses leads to overinflation of rates.

"CMS relies primarily on subjective information from surveys that have low response rates, with respondents who may have inherent conflicts of interest (since their responses are used in setting their payment rates)," the agency explained on its website.

AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, criticized CMS' proposal to exclude or limit the use of RUC's physician surveys in rate calculations, arguing that labeling physician respondents as conflicted is biased and unfair.

"There is no substitute for relying on experienced practicing physicians when creating Medicare payment policy. No one knows more about what is involved in providing services to Medicare patients than the physicians who care for them," Mukkamala stated.

AMA President-elect Willie Underwood, III, MD, MSc, MPH, also asserted in the latest announcement that "CPT is more than a set of billing codes." Instead, it is the "backbone of health data interoperability."

"The CPT code set allows for the seamless flow of complex medical information across the entire health system and has a foundational role in research, analysis, and benchmarking of health care services and outcomes that promotes the delivery of high-quality care," said Underwood. “The health system increasingly relies on CPT to support a data infrastructure for value-based care adoption, preventive care access, and technological innovation acceleration."

The Trump Administration recently prioritized the advancement of health data interoperability, partnering with 60 companies, including Google, UnitedHealth and Amazon, to advance an interoperability framework and increase the availability of digital health tools.

Jacqueline LaPointe is a graduate of Brandeis University and King's College London. She has been writing about healthcare finance and revenue cycle management since 2016.