Radiology societies advocate for CPT code changes
The American College of Radiology and other specialty societies are pressing for Current Procedure Terminology code changes with the 2026 cycle.
ACR and others did so as part of the 2024 September American Medical Association CPT Editorial Panel meeting. The hybrid gathering was the final of three to update codes for 2026, ACR said in a Thursday news update.
The college highlighted four codes that the radiology groups are advocating for in this cycle including: Lower Extremity Vascular Procedures, Thoracic Branch Endograft Services, Sympathetic Denervation Renal Arteries, and Radiation Oncology Treatment Delivery. You can read more about the proposals in this agenda from the gathering.
Category III codes approved at the meeting will be posted on the AMA website Jan. 1 and take effect July 1, 2025. Meanwhile, Category I codes will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
ACR also shared a document with the 2025 anticipated CPT changes. These include new codes to report MRI-monitored transurethral ultrasound ablation of the prostate, transcranial doppler, percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of the thyroid, fascial plane blocks, and magnetic resonance examination safety procedures. MRI-guided, high intensity-focused ultrasound also will be converted from Category III to Category I. Plus, there will be a new subsection for telemedicine services in the E/M section with 17 new codes and guidelines for reporting office visits.
“The ACR urges its members to review and consider how the new code changes may impact their practices,” the college wrote.
Others collaborating to request the recent updates for 2026 included the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society, the Association of Academic Radiology, the Society of Interventional Radiology, the American Society of Neuroradiology and the American Society for Radiation Oncology.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.