AMA announces CPT codes for COVID-19 immunizations

The AMA recently updated the CPT code set to include vaccine-specific codes for the COVID-19 vaccines created by Pfizer and Moderna, according to a press release from the medical society.

The CPT Editorial Panel worked with the CDC on unique codes for two coronavirus vaccines and the administration of each vaccine. The CPT codes were released before the approval of a vaccine so that health care electronic systems have time to update, the release said.

“An effective national immunization program is key to bringing the coronavirus pandemic to an end,” AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said in the press release. “Correlating each coronavirus vaccine with its own unique CPT code provides analytical advantages to help track, allocate and optimize resources as an immunization program ramps up in the United States.”

The new Category I CPT codes and long descriptors are:

• 91300: “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 30 mcg/0.3mL dosage, diluent reconstituted, for intramuscular use;” and
• 91301: “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 100 mcg/0.5mL dosage, for intramuscular use.”

The administration codes are specific to each vaccine and its dose in the required schedule. That way, doses can be tracked even when the vaccine is not reported, which could occur if a vaccine is given to a patient for free, according to the release.

The administration codes and long descriptors are:

• 0001A: “immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 30 mcg/0.3mL dosage, diluent reconstituted; first dose;”
• 0002A: “immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 30 mcg/0.3mL dosage, diluent reconstituted; second dose;”
• 0011A: “immunization administration by intramuscular injection of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 100 mcg/0.5mL dosage; first dose;” and
• 0012A: “immunization administration by intramuscular injection of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 100 mcg/0.5mL dosage; second dose.”

The new CPT codes will be effective upon emergency use authorization or FDA approval of each vaccine, the release said. Short and medium descriptions of the codes are available on the AMA’s website, along with other recent modifications to the CPT code set to facilitate the public health response to COVID-19.

Editor's note: This story was updated on December 18, 2020, to clarify which vaccines the CPT codes and long descriptors listed here are applicable to.