The availability of new Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT, codes is one thing; knowing how to use them properly is something else. That's why, after helping to lead an effort to establish new CPT codes related to caregiver training, APTA launched an educational campaign to ensure members put them to use effectively.
That campaign has earned the association the American Medical Association's Excellence in Education Award for 2024.
The award, conferred by the AMA CPT Editorial Panel, recognizes APTA for the resources provided to members around the use of new codes designed to address situations in which there is a need to provide caregiver education in the interest of an individual patient or group of patients without the patient present (codes 97550, 97551, and 97552). The centerpiece of those resources is an APTA Practice Advisory, published in December 2023, which includes background on the codes, descriptions of each, documentation requirements, and guidance on how to best use each code.
In addition to the advisory, the association published online news articles and a feature article in APTA Magazine focused on the new codes. APTA continues to monitor the rollout of the codes and provide updates to members when needed.
Together with the American Occupational Therapy Association and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, APTA presented the initial application for the codes to the AMA CPT Editorial Panel in May 2022. That panel approved the application and accepted the codes for use beginning in 2024. The association's education efforts began in 2023.
"APTA is proud to have received this recognition for our education efforts, but even more pleased that the resources we provided are being put to use by our members," said Alice Bell, PT, DPT, APTA health policy and payment senior specialist. "We're getting feedback that this practice advisory, as well as the others we've produced, are helping members better navigate the current health care environment, and that's the best news of all."
APTA also offers practice advisories on information blocking, remote therapeutic monitoring codes, good faith estimates, screening patients for anxiety, mitigating the spread of mpox, and vaccine administration.