The healthcare industry is in a state of constant evolution, driven significantly by rapid advancements in technology. To ensure that medical coding and billing practices keep pace with these changes, the American Medical Association (AMA) releases annual updates to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set. The upcoming 2025 CPT® edition introduces 420 critical updates, reflecting the growing role of health care technology coding in modern medicine. These revisions are essential for physicians and healthcare providers to accurately document and bill for services, particularly those involving innovative technologies.
CPT codes are often referred to as the “language of medicine,” providing a standardized system to report medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures. With over 11,000 codes, this system is the backbone of healthcare communication, ensuring clarity and consistency across medical documents, insurance claims, and patient records. These codes are not just for billing; they are fundamental for tracking healthcare trends, understanding service utilization, and conducting vital health services research. The 2025 updates emphasize the increasing integration of technology in healthcare delivery and the subsequent need for precise healthcare technology coding.
The Evolving Landscape of CPT Codes and Health Technology
The latest CPT code updates are a direct response to the dynamic nature of medical practice, particularly the integration of cutting-edge technologies. As AMA President Dr. Bruce A. Scott notes, these updates ensure the CPT code set remains a “trusted universal language of medicine,” accurately reflecting contemporary clinical practices. This year’s update includes 270 new codes, alongside 112 deletions and 38 revisions, signaling a significant shift towards new medical frontiers. Notably, a large proportion of the new codes (37%) are dedicated to proprietary laboratory analyses, many of which are linked to advanced genetic testing. This highlights the growing importance of health care technology coding in specialized and technologically intensive medical fields.
Category III CPT codes, designed for temporary use with emerging technologies, services, and procedures, make up a substantial 30% of the new additions. This underscores the focus on incorporating new technological advancements into the coding framework, ensuring that innovations are recognized and can be appropriately integrated into billing and healthcare systems.
Rigorous Updates for Accurate Health Care Technology Coding
The integrity of CPT codes relies on a meticulous update process managed by the CPT Editorial Panel. This independent body, convened by the AMA, gathers extensive input from the healthcare community to ensure CPT content is relevant and adaptable to the evolving healthcare system. The panel comprises 21 volunteer physicians and healthcare professionals appointed by the AMA Board of Trustees. Their decisions are informed by over 200 advisors nominated by specialty societies, ensuring diverse medical expertise. Furthermore, the panel includes representatives from health plans, coding experts, and government agencies like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ensuring a comprehensive and authoritative approach to health care technology coding standards.
Alt: Stay informed with AMA newsletters on healthcare topics.
Key Technological Updates in CPT 2025
Several key areas within the 2025 CPT updates highlight the growing influence of technology in healthcare. Remote therapeutic monitoring services have been significantly revised. Code 98975 now encompasses digital therapeutic intervention, while codes 98976–98978 have been modified to include device supply for data access and transmission essential for remote patient monitoring. These changes recognize the increasing prevalence of telemedicine and remote care, necessitating updated health care technology coding to accurately reflect these services.
Perhaps most notably, seven new codes have been introduced specifically for services leveraging augmented intelligence (AI). Building upon the CPT AI Taxonomy introduced in 2023, these codes classify AI medical services as assistive, augmentative, or autonomous. The new codes cover AI-driven augmentative data analysis in electrocardiogram measurements (0902T and 0932T), medical chest imaging (0877T–0880T), and image-guided prostate biopsy (0898T). This is a landmark recognition of AI’s expanding role in medical diagnostics and treatment, requiring healthcare professionals to understand and implement appropriate health care technology coding for these advanced procedures.
Updates also extend to traditional surgical fields, reflecting technological advancements in wound care and tumor removal. Revisions in the general surgery section address novel skin graft approaches for wound care and recovery (codes 15011–15018) and advanced surgical techniques for abdominal tumor removal (codes 49186–49190). Even in these established domains, technology continues to refine practices, necessitating continuous updates to health care technology coding.
Embracing Technology for the Future of Healthcare
The AMA is committed to ensuring that technology serves as an asset, not a burden, for physicians. From AI implementation to the optimization of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), the focus is on making technology work seamlessly within healthcare practices. The CPT 2025 updates are a critical step in this direction, providing the necessary framework for accurately coding and billing for technology-driven healthcare services.
To gain deeper insights into the 2025 updates, healthcare professionals are encouraged to attend the virtual CPT & RBRVS 2025 Annual Symposium in November. Additionally, resources such as the CPT 2025 Professional Edition codebook and CPT data products available through the AMA Intelligent Platform offer comprehensive guidance on navigating these important changes in health care technology coding. By staying informed and adapting to these updates, healthcare providers can ensure accurate billing, optimize practice management, and continue to deliver high-quality patient care in an increasingly technology-driven environment.
