--- title: "CPT, CPT Codes | MedTech Terms" description: "AMA-maintained codes that describe medical procedures and services. Plain-English Reimbursement definition for MedTech teams, with examples and related terms." lang: en json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes#term", "name": "CPT Codes", "alternateName": "CPT", "description": "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.", "url": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes", "termCode": "cpt-codes", "inDefinedTermSet": { "@type": "DefinedTermSet", "name": "MedTech Terms", "url": "https://medtechterms.com/terms" } }, { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes#article", "headline": "CPT, CPT Codes", "description": "AMA-maintained codes that describe medical procedures and services.", "url": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes" }, "about": { "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes#term" }, "articleSection": "Reimbursement", "inLanguage": "en", "keywords": "CPT Codes, CPT, Reimbursement, medical device, MedTech", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "jobTitle": "Founder, Blue Goat Cyber", "url": "https://bluegoatcyber.com" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "MedTech Terms", "url": "https://medtechterms.com" }, "isPartOf": { "@type": "WebSite", "name": "MedTech Terms", "url": "https://medtechterms.com" }, "datePublished": "2026-05-05", "dateModified": "2026-05-05", "citation": [ { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "AMA CPT", "url": "https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/cpt", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AMA" } }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "AdvaMed - Payment & Coverage", "url": "https://www.advamed.org/our-work/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AdvaMed" } } ], "mentions": [ { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/hcpcs#term", "name": "HCPCS Codes", "alternateName": "HCPCS", "url": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/hcpcs" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/ntap#term", "name": "New Technology Add-On Payment", "alternateName": "NTAP", "url": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/ntap" }, { "@type": "DefinedTerm", "@id": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/category-iii-cpt#term", "name": "Category III CPT Code", "url": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/category-iii-cpt" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://medtechterms.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Terms", "item": "https://medtechterms.com/terms" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Reimbursement", "item": "https://medtechterms.com/terms?cat=Reimbursement" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "CPT Codes", "item": "https://medtechterms.com/terms/cpt-codes" } ] } ] } --- [ MedTech Terms The authoritative reference ](/) Browse Learn [Latest](/latest) About 1. [Home](/) 2. / 3. [Terms](/terms) 4. / 5. [Reimbursement](/terms?cat=Reimbursement) 6. / 7. CPT Codes [All terms](/terms) Reimbursement [Hospital Buyer & Reimbursement](/ecosystems/hospital-buyer)CPT # CPT Codes AMA-maintained codes that describe medical procedures and services. Reviewed by [Christian Espinosa, Founder, Blue Goat Cyber](/authors/christian-espinosa) Last reviewed May 5, 2026 ## Definition [Current Procedural Terminology codes](/terms/cpt) 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](/terms/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. ## Related terms Grouped by theme ### Editor's picks · Hand-selected related concepts [ Reimbursement HCPCS Codes(HCPCS) CMS-maintained codes for products, supplies, and services not in CPT. ](/terms/hcpcs)[ Reimbursement New Technology Add-On Payment(NTAP) Supplemental Medicare payment for inpatient use of qualifying new technologies. ](/terms/ntap)[ Reimbursement Category III CPT Code Temporary CPT code for emerging technologies and services. ](/terms/category-iii-cpt) ### Reimbursement & Market Access · From this learning path [ Reimbursement Current Procedural Terminology Codes(CPT) AMA-maintained codes used to report medical procedures and services for billing. Adjacent lesson ](/terms/cpt?from=reimbursement-and-market-access)[ Reimbursement Budget Impact Model(BIM) Financial model that estimates the total cost consequences of adopting a new technology to a payer's budget over a defined horizon. ](/terms/budget-impact-model?from=reimbursement-and-market-access)[ Reimbursement Health Technology Assessment(HTA) Systematic evaluation of clinical and economic value of a health technology. ](/terms/hta?from=reimbursement-and-market-access)[ Reimbursement ICD-10-CM / ICD-10-PCS Diagnosis (CM) and inpatient procedure (PCS) coding systems used in U.S. claims. ](/terms/icd-10?from=reimbursement-and-market-access) ### More in Reimbursement · Same category [ Reimbursement LCD and NCD Local and National Coverage Determinations from Medicare. ](/terms/lcd-ncd) Cited by Where this term appears across MedTech Terms. Learning paths (1) - [Reimbursement & Market Access](/paths/reimbursement-and-market-access)Lesson 2 of 14 Ecosystems (1) - [Hospital Buyer & Reimbursement](/ecosystems/hospital-buyer) ## Primary references 2 sources Link health: 2 verified · last checked 2026-06-20 AMA· 1 AdvaMed· 1 1. [1 AMA CPT Verified AMA · ama-assn.org ](https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/cpt) 2. [2 AdvaMed - Payment & Coverage Verified AdvaMed · advamed.org ](https://www.advamed.org/our-work/) Inline markers like \[1\] jump to the matching reference above. Sponsor note ### Need cybersecurity expertise on a connected-device launch? Blue Goat Cyber helps MedTech teams ship connected products that hospital security teams will actually procure. [Book a 30-minute discovery session](https://go.bluegoatcyber.com/meetings/blue-goat-cyber/discovery-session) - No obligation - Expert-led from minute one - NDA available on request MedTech Terms is a community resource sponsored by [Blue Goat Cyber](https://bluegoatcyber.com). Definitions are independent of any vendor. On this term Category Reimbursement Acronym CPT Sources 2 Updated 5/5/2026 [Compare with another term](/compare?a=cpt-codes) Learn in 60 seconds Card Lesson Quiz AMA-maintained codes that describe medical procedures and services. - · 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. - · Category I codes are permanent; Category III codes are temporary tracking codes for emerging services. Remember this Watch out: Assuming an existing CPT code adequately describes a novel procedure - payers can deny based on miscoding. Related terms - [HCPCS Codes(HCPCS) ](/terms/hcpcs) - [New Technology Add-On Payment(NTAP) ](/terms/ntap) - [Category III CPT Code ](/terms/category-iii-cpt) You may also need Auto-suggested from Reimbursement and shared keywords. - [Current Procedural Terminology Codes(CPT) ](/terms/cpt) - [Category III CPT Codes ](/terms/category-iii-codes) - [ICD-10-CM / ICD-10-PCS ](/terms/icd-10) - [Medicare Physician Fee Schedule(MPFS) ](/terms/physician-fee-schedule) - [Proprietary Laboratory Analyses Codes(PLA) ](/terms/pla-codes) - [Bundled Payment ](/terms/bundled-payment) [All Reimbursement terms](/terms?cat=Reimbursement) MedTech Terms An authoritative, plain-language reference for the regulatory, quality, cybersecurity, and software terms that shape modern medical devices. Browse - [All terms](/terms) - [A–Z index](/a-z) - [Categories](/categories) - [Ecosystems](/ecosystems) - [Learning paths](/paths) - [Compare terms](/compare) - [Quiz](/quiz) Resources - [FDA Medical Devices](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices) - [EU MDR](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/745/oj) - [IMDRF](https://www.imdrf.org/) - [Methodology](/methodology) - [Changelog](/changelog) - [Editor: Christian Espinosa](/authors/christian-espinosa) - [About this site](/about) © 2026 MedTech Terms. Reference content for educational purposes - not regulatory advice. A community resource sponsored by [Blue Goat Cyber](https://bluegoatcyber.com)