The 2026 update of the American Medical Association (AMA)’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set introduces new billing options for remote patient monitoring and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven diagnostics — changes that could significantly affect reimbursement and clinical practice.

The recently released code set includes 418 changes: 288 new codes, 84 deletions, and 46 revisions.

“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 Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, AMA’s president-elect, in a statement.

Remote Monitoring Expansion

Among the most notable changes are the five new codes for reporting remote monitoring services over shorter timeframes: 2-15 days within a 30-day period. Two additional codes allow billing for remote monitoring treatment management after just 10 minutes of service per month, lowering the previous threshold of 20 minutes.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) called these codes “particularly significant for primary care,” noting they reflect evidence supporting shorter-term monitoring.

AAFP also highlighted three new codes for immunization counseling when a vaccine is not administered to the patient on the same date, as well as a new code for reporting each additional non-COVID vaccine given alongside a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Advancing AI-Based Diagnostic Tools

The 2026 CPT update also reflects growing clinical adoption of AI in diagnostics.

At its September 2024 meeting, the AMA CPT editorial panel considered whether to upgrade the CPT code for AI-based coronary atherosclerotic plaque assessment. The following month, AMA confirmed the panel’s decisions: a new Category I code for quantifying and characterizing coronary atherosclerotic plaque to assess disease severity. 

In an October 28 press release, James K. Min, MD, a cardiologist and founder of Cleerly, a health-tech firm, thanked medical societies and physicians for backing his company’s bid for an upgrade. “This approval shows the importance and power of AI and advanced imaging technologies in clinical practice,” Min said.

Cleerly succeeded in moving its AI coronary atherosclerotic plaque assessment tool from a temporary Category III designation to a permanent Category I code. Category I status, reserved for established procedures and services, generally improves prospects for reimbursement and wider use.

James Vavricek, director of federal regulatory affairs for the American College of Cardiology, told Medscape the Category I upgrade “should streamline coding and payment for clinicians using this technology.”

The 2026 CPT update also includes several other Category III codes for what the AMA calls "augmentative" and “assistive” tools to aid in diagnosis:

• Perivascular fat analysis: two codes for noninvasive assessment of cardiac risk derived from augmentative software analysis of perivascular fat with or without concurrent CT scan of the heart
• Multispectral imaging for burn wounds: assistive algorithmic classification of burn healing (ie, healing or nonhealing) by noninvasive multispectral imaging
• Acoustic/ECG algorithmic analysis to detect cardiac dysfunction (eg, reduced ejection fraction, cardiac murmurs, atrial fibrillation)

Continual Review Process

First published in 1966, the CPT code set is maintained by the CPT Editorial Panel, a 21-member group of physicians appointed by the AMA Board of Trustees. The panel, supported by an advisory committee representing specialty societies, reviews applications for code changes during three public meetings each year. 

Meetings draw more than 1000 attendees, both online and in person. The next session will be held September 18-20.

Kerry Dooley Young is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC. She has covered medical research and healthcare policy for more than 20 years.