2025 Heralds New CPT Code Changes: Everything you need to know to keep your medical billing up to date

Medical Billers use Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes to describe the procedures and services being performed by healthcare professionals. These codes ensure that a practice is properly reimbursed for the services they provide. Errors in CPT codes, such as using out-of-date or deleted codes, is a sure-fire way to create claim denials, so staying on top of annual CPT changes is crucial to ensuring your practice is being properly compensated for the quality healthcare you provide.  

All in all, the 2025 changes include “420 overall updates in the CPT 2025 code set, including 270 new codes, 112 deletions, and 38 revisions.” Let’s look at some of the changes coming our way.  

Technology, AI, and Remote Monitoring

The 2025 code changes are responding to advancements in digital medicine, artificial/augmented intelligence (AI) , and medical technology. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many patients shifted towards remote care and digital appointments. As this landscape evolves with consumer preference, expect codes outlining remote care and digital medicine to continue being refined. With the 2025 code updates came revised Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) codes, which now better reflect patient needs.

AI has played a key role in both national and international healthcare debates. While the taxonomy to describe AI-enabled clinical tasks was first introduced in 2022, it comes as no surprise that this language is still undergoing refinement. The 2025 codes include 7 updated codes which aim to better describe AI’s role in these emerging landscapes. As this sector evolves, we can expect to see more changes to CPT codes. Keeping apprised of the evolving attitude toward AI involvement in medical care, and the changing CPT codes, is crucial to maintaining proper billing procedures and getting ahead of claim denials before they happen.  

General Surgery

International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) Codes classify diseases and diagnoses. Insurance companies use these codes when approving or denying prior authorization requests and claims. For a claim to be accepted, the CPT codes need to properly align with the ICD-10 codes, proving both that the treatment is medical necessity and that it's the proper treatment for the diagnosed ailment. There’s a logical continuity between ICD-10 codes and CPT codes.

Therefore, as new, innovative procedures, such as methods for destroying abdominal tumors and performing skin grafts, become commonplace, and as new parameters for diagnosis come to light, CPT codes are naturally going to shift. General surgery is another field which is under constant revision, as medical procedures are developed, and new practices are put in place. Ensuring CPT codes are entered properly helps to guarantee that doctors are being reimbursed for the lifesaving, quality care they’re providing, and it helps ensure patients can count on consistency and reliability in their practice.

Looking Forward

With CPT codes changing yearly, medical billers need to undergo regular training, to ensure they’re up to date on the new codes and procedures. Software should be updated to include the new and revised codes, to ensure accurate and reliable billing, and prevent claims denials that result from improperly billed procedures. Robust documentation can help prevent improperly billed procedures, and internal audits can help a practice identify common stopgaps that lead to claims denials.  

Staying on top of medical billing and CPT codes can often fall to the wayside, especially in small to midsize practices, but it is absolutely vital to creating a thriving ecosystem of patients, doctors, and staff. Whether your medical billing is in-house or outsourced, your billers need to be up to date on the latest CPT changes.  

If you have questions about the 2025 CPT changes, or need support for your medical billing, the experts at Accrete Concierge are here to help. Contact us today.

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