IDx, a Coralville startup that developed the first FDA-authorized artificial intelligence diagnostics system, announced this week that the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel has accepted a new category 1 CPT code for automated point-of-care retinal imaging. This new code, submitted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) with the support of IDx, facilitates correct billing of IDx-DR, an FDA-cleared autonomous AI system that detects diabetic retinopathy, without needing a physician to interpret results.
The AMA’s CPT Editorial panel grants CPT codes to provide a uniform language for submitting healthcare procedures and services for payor reimbursement. The new CPT code for automated point-of-care retinal imaging, scheduled to be effective in Jan. 2021, will streamline the coding and billing process for healthcare providers using IDx-DR. The code description may be further refined prior to its scheduled implementation.
The AMA also issued a press release earlier this month further outlining policy recommendations for AI in healthcare. That policy includes advocating for “payment and coverage of all health care AI systems that are conditioned on complying with all appropriate federal and state laws and regulations, including but not limited to those governing patient safety, efficacy, equity, truthful claims, privacy, and security as well as state medical practice and licensure laws,” among other criteria.