You can add two new codes to your COVID-19 response kit, with the added bonus that the codes are applicable for seasonal flu testing as well.
On Oct. 7, the AMA released a set of new category I CPT codes for multi-virus tests to detect COVID-19 and influenza. The new codes – 87636 and 87637 – are eligible for reporting immediately. Here are the full descriptors:
- 87636 (Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid [DNA or RNA]; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] [Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]] and influenza virus types A and B, multiplex amplified probe technique).
- 87637 (Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid [DNA or RNA]; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] [Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]], influenza virus types A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus, multiplex amplified probe technique).
“Two of the newly approved codes report nucleic acid assays that allow a single test to simultaneously detect the novel coronavirus and a combination of common viral infectious agents, including influenza A/B and respiratory syncytial virus,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D., in the Oct. 7 statement. “Concurrent detection promises to conserve important testing resources, allowing for ongoing surveillance of influenza while testing for the novel coronavirus.”
Note that the CPT Editorial Panel also revised a series of CPT codes by deleting the term “multi step method” from the code descriptions in the range of 87301 to 87430. “The revision clarifies the proper reporting for antigen tests that are read by a machine, as compared to those which can be visually interpreted without a machine,” the AMA said.