All terms
CPT Codes
AMA-maintained codes that describe medical procedures and services.
Reviewed by Christian Espinosa, Founder, Blue Goat CyberLast reviewed May 5, 2026
Definition
Current Procedural Terminology codes are five-digit numeric codes maintained by the American Medical Association that describe physician and other professional services. Category I codes are permanent; Category III codes are temporary tracking codes for emerging services.What this means in practice
Without an applicable CPT code, physicians cannot bill for procedures involving a new device. Securing a Category III code is often the first reimbursement milestone; conversion to Category I follows demonstrated utilization and evidence. Common pitfalls
- •Assuming an existing CPT code adequately describes a novel procedure - payers can deny based on miscoding.
Primary references
3 sourcesLink health: 1 bot-blocked 2 needs review· last checked 2026-05-09
AMA·1CMS·2
- 1
AMA CPTBot-blockedAMAama-assn.org
- 2
CMS - CoverageNeeds reviewCMScms.gov
- 3
CMS - CodingNeeds reviewCMScms.gov
Inline markers like [1] jump to the matching reference above.