The American Medical Association (AMA) announced unique Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine and its administration.
The codes will come into effect after the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or emergency use authorization. The vaccine called NVX-CoV2373 is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical trials.
As per details, the CPT codes have been announced for the convenience of the healthcare system. So, they can prepare their electronic systems in advance.
Moreover, Susan R. Bailey, MD, president of the AMA in a press release has said that: the contributions of different manufactures to produce the COVID-19 vaccine has helped to support the needed volume of doses. And more importantly, the production of such vaccines also helps to avoid possible supply disruptions.
He further said: “however, accurately correlating vaccinated patients with one of the available COVID-19 vaccines is critical for managing immunizations”.
“This challenge is managed with unique CPT codes that clinically distinguish each COVID-19 vaccine and provide the needed informational precision to ensure optimal vaccine distribution and administration,” Bailey continued.
Before diving into further discussions, let it be clear that_ after Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Moderna, now Novavax has become the fifth company to get their own CPT codes for their vaccine and its administration.
New Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Codes Are:
91304: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle, saponin-based adjuvant, preservative-free, 5 mcg/0.5mL dosages, for intramuscular use.
0041A: Immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle, saponin-based adjuvant, preservative-free, 5 mcg/0.5mL dosage; first dose.
0042A: Immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle, saponin-based adjuvant, preservative-free, 5 mcg/0.5mL dosages; second dose.
Furthermore, AMA has also released new CPT codes to describe the additional supplies and clinical staff time. That is required to prevent the spread of the coronavirus while providing medical aid during a health emergency. You can get further details about the medium, short and long descriptions for all the vaccine-specific codes by visiting the AMA’s official website.
Prepare Your Staff & Systems
So, as a medical practitioner if you are preparing to provide these vaccines. Then it’s your responsibility to start working with the collaboration of your billing, coding and IT teams.
Besides this, make sure that your administrative staff stay at the top of all the healthcare reforms. Such as: ever-evolving payers’ policies related to reimbursements for telemedicine, COVID-19 treatment, billing guidelines as well as regulatory changes.
Hence, preparing and training your staff involved in the process of medical billing can avoid future inconvenience. And allow you to streamline your administrative workflows. It’s pertinent to mention here that more than three million people have lost their lives due to the global pandemic.
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