The American Medical Association (AMA) (@AmerMedicalAssn) announced that the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set has been updated by the CPT Editorial Panel to include a new code for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine created by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
The new CPT code for the booster dose of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine joins unique CPT codes previously issued to COVID-19 vaccine booster doses from Moderna and Pfizer. The CPT codes for reporting COVID-19 vaccine boosters from Janssen and Moderna are effective for use as of Oct. 20. The CPT codes for the Pfizer boosters were made effective on Sept. 22. As with all the CPT codes related to COVID-19 vaccines, the effective dates coincide with the emergency use authorization issued by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“We believe the FDA’s authorization and the CDC’s recommendations in support of booster doses, including the option to mix-and-match boosters with authorized vaccines, will help provide continued protection against COVID-19 for those who need it most,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D.
The mix and match option authorized COVID-19 vaccines and boosters provides needed flexibility for efficient and effective vaccination programs. The CPT code set is prepared to support this strategy with product-specific CPT codes that clinically distinguished each coronavirus vaccine and booster to facilitate tracking, reporting and analysis that is needed for data-driven planning and allocation as booster programs ramp up.
For quick reference, the new code assigned to the Janssen booster for the COVID-19 vaccine is:
- 0034A Immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, DNA, spike protein, adenovirus type 26 (Ad26) vector, preservative free, 5×1010 viral particles/0.5 mL dosage; booster dose
Short, medium and long descriptors for all the new vaccine-specific CPT codes can be accessed on the AMA website, along with other recent modifications to the CPT code set that have helped streamline the public health response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease.
To help ensure accurate coding and reporting of COVID-19 vaccines and immunization services, the AMA offers a vaccine code finder resource to help identify the appropriate CPT code combination for the type and dose of COVID-19 vaccine provided to each patient.
Changes to the CPT code set are considered through an open editorial process managed by the CPT Editorial Panel that collects broad input from the health care community and beyond to ensure CPT content reflects the coding demands of digital health, precision medicine, augmented intelligence, and other aspects of a modern health care system. This rigorous editorial process keeps the CPT code set current with contemporary medical science and technology so it can fulfill its vital role as the trusted language of medicine today and the code to its future.
Questions on CPT coding and content should be directed to the CPT Network, the authoritative source for CPT coding answers. Also consult the AMA online library of COVID-19 CPT coding and guidance.
About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.