According to the American Medical Association (AMA), the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Panel has updated the CPT code list to include Covid-19 vaccine and administration codes developed by Novavax Inc., according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
CPT Code Updated With Novavax Covid Vaccines
The CPT codes are included provisionally and will await the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the US. However, the AMA made the declaration earlier so that the country’s electronic health systems stay prepared for the potential authorization of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccines by the FDA.
The Novavax vaccine is currently under phase 3 clinical trials. Previous trials have found the vaccine to be 96.4% effective in dealing with the original virus. The vaccine is 86.3% effective in combating the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus. Apart from covid, the vaccine is found to be 100% effective in protecting from other severe diseases.
According to M.D Susan R. Bailey, who is also the president of AMA, the availability of covid vaccines from different manufacturers is helpful to ensure that there is no disruption in the vaccine’s supply. However, it is crucial for building immunization to correlate vaccinated patients with any of the Covid-19 vaccines. And this is a challenge that can be overcome with the alignment of CPT codes. The codes can clinically distinguish each of the Covid-19 vaccines and help develop the vaccine’s proper administration and distribution.
Apart from the Novavax, CPT codes have been developed for the other Covid vaccines such as the Moderna, Pfizer, J&J, and AstraZeneca. The CPT codes have facilitated the planning and distribution of the vaccines based on their characteristics.
The assessment of the CPT codes that are appropriate for a covid vaccine is done by AMA through a code finder resource. This resource ensures the accuracy of the assigned CPT code combination. The resource will be updated by the AMA to include the Novavax vaccine codes.
According to Susan, the CPT code assigned to the Novavax vaccine includes 91304 with the description of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine. The further descriptions of this code are saponin-based adjuvant, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle, 5 mcg/0.5mL dosages, preservative-free, for intramuscular use.
In addition to the 91304 code, the two-dose schedule of the vaccine has been assigned with a CPT code that deals with the administration of the vaccine. This CPT code specifies the administration of the vaccine along with the other precautions such as updating the electronic record and counseling the patients.
The code that the vaccine’s administration has been assigned with is 0041A. This code is described as intramuscular injection of an acute respiratory syndrome, saponin-based adjuvant, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle, 5 mcg/0.5mL dosages, preservative-free. This code is only for the same first administration of the vaccine. For its second administration, the code 0042A has been assigned. This code has its long descriptors as severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus vaccine, saponin-based adjuvant, recombinant spike protein nanoparticle, 5 mcg/0.5mL dosages, preservative-free.
The new descriptors for the CPT codes that are specific to the vaccine are listed on the AMA website. The descriptors include short, medium, and long. The website has also listed the recent modifications done to the code list that have contributed to streamlining the disease as well as the response of the people to the virus.
The editing and updating of the CPT code list follow a rigorous process wherein the Editorial Panel receives inputs from the various communities that provide health care. The panel ensures that the code list consists of the features of a modern health care system, such as the coding requirements of digital health to make a list relevant to the current technology.
