Four prominent U.S. imaging groups are pushing for the first radiology-specific artificial intelligence CPT code, according to an update shared Wednesday.
The American College of Radiology, RSNA, American Roentgen Ray Society and Association of University Radiologists are all in on the request. They’re urging the American Medical Association’s Current Procedure Terminology Editorial Panel to approve two new codes related to imaging.
One would cover AI analysis for the detection of vertebral fractures—the first radiology-specific such code proposal, ACR reported on Wednesday. The second Category 3 code, meanwhile, would pertain to quantitative ultrasound tissue characterization (nonelastographic).
If the panel decides to approve the two proposals, these codes would be released on July 1, with a go-live date of Jan. 1, 2022, the college noted. One expert previously noted that, if an AI code were ever created, it would need to go before the Relative Value Scale Update Committee so that RVUs could be assigned.
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.