CMS slated to introduce nearly 400 new CPT codes in October

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is slated to roll out nearly 400 new current procedural terminology (CPT) codes this coming fall, according to a June 16 announcement. 

The upcoming changes include a total of 395 new codes, 25 deletions and 13 revisions. Additionally, hundreds of changes have been made to the tabular instructions for the fiscal year 2024. 

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the impending changes: 

• Of the 395 new codes, 123 pertain to the external causes of morbidity chapter of the ICD-10-CM manual, with many of those specific to documenting accidents and injuries.  

• Social determinants of health will be addressed with 30 new diagnosis codes that take factors influencing health status and patient contact with health services into consideration. The updates include new guidance instructing coders to report various risk factors of HIV, in addition to several changes related to patients’ upbringing (family support, death/disappearance of family, divorce/separation, etc.), history of stressful life events and military service backgrounds. 

• Several changes have been made related to osteoporosis with fractures, retinopathy and muscle entrapment in the eye and disease of the nervous system, including five new codes pertaining specifically to Parkinson’s disease. 

• New inclusion terms have been added to the segment on gender identity disorders. 

• Coding instructions for coagulation related to COVID-19 have been updated. 

The 2024 ICD-10-CM codes will go into effect on October 1, 2023 and will be used for discharges and patient encounters occurring between that date and September 30, 2024. 

For more detailed information about the new codes, updates and revisions, click here.