COVID-19 Antigen Testing Code 87426 Available for Immediate Use from AMA
COVID-19 Antigen Testing Code 87426 Available for Immediate Use from AMA
The American Medical Association (AMA) has released a new code for antigen testing. These are for patients suspected to have been infected with COVID-19 (AMA, 2020). AMA approved the CPT code for antigen testing, 87426, at a special meeting of the CPT Editorial Panel.
CPT 87426 Effective Date
The CPT code 87426 effective date is June 25, 2020. The special meeting and action by AMA was designed to react rapidly to the urgent need for the code. In addition, AMA President Susan R. Bailey M.D. commented, “Moving quickly during this crisis to meet the medical coding needs of the health care industry has enhanced the reporting of innovative tools now available to advance medicine’s overarching goals of reducing the COVID-19 disease burden, improving health outcomes and reducing long-term care costs” (AMA, 2020).
Get the latest COVID-19 medical coding training. This covers the new ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, FAQ advice, treatments, vaccines. The courses also other CMS-targeted COVID-19 training topics. You can also follow our COVID-19 Resource Center for additional updates.
What is CPT Code 87426 Antigen Testing Code?
Furthermore, the code, 87426, represents antigen tests using an immunofluorescent or immunochromatographic technique for the detection of biomolecules produced by the SAR-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19). Antigen testing is intended to be easier and quicker than other COVID-19 testing. Providers can also conduct it at the point of care. Analysts expect that this code will be the industry standard for reporting and tracking of antigen tests.
The long descriptor for the new CPT code for rapid COVID test in office is:
87426 – “Infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay technique, (e.g., enzyme immunoassay [EIA], enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], immunochemiluminometric assay [IMCA]) qualitative or semiquantitative, multiple-step method; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (e.g., SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19])” (AMA, 2020).
Additional Testing Codes
AMA released additional CPT codes for COVID-19 testing in March and April 2020. On April 10, 2020, AMA released 2 new antibody testing codes. See a description of these codes in our article, “AMA Releases Two New CPT Codes for COVID-19 Antibody Detection.”
AMA released a new code for laboratory testing for COVID-19 on March 13, 2020. We explained detailed information on this change in our article, “Selecting the Right COVID-19 Code: Should You Use CPT or HCPCS?”
As these new antigen testing codes have developed, they have been effective immediately to allow for the tracking of testing for COVID-19. Additional information about the new antigen testing code 87426 is available in a special edition of CPT Assistant for June 2020 (AMA, 2020). Also included in the special edition is information on two new Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) codes: 0223U and 0224U. There are clinical examples and descriptions of all three codes included in the CPT Assistant.
The CPT Editorial Panel will continue to monitor updates in the clinical indications for these antigen tests as knowledge of COVID-19 evolves. Clarification will be provided if additional information becomes available.
CMS released 12 new ICD-10-PCS codes to specifically record and track the treatment of COVID-19 inpatients.
Check out these additional codes that were made available to document COVID-19 tests:
The ICD-10 Updates are now available on the YES HIM Education site. For an in-depth explanation of the updates to the Medical and Surgical Related Section, Ancillary and New Technology, as well as the rationale and clinical information as detailed in the Coordination and Maintenance Committee Meeting materials, review our article here.
