COVID Vaccine Codes Announced

by  Wyn Staheli, Director of Content - innoviHealth
Nov 11th, 2020

On November 10, 2020, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced the addition of two new codes which will be used for the new COVID-19 vaccines along with 4 new administration codes to be used when reporting the administration of these vaccines. Please keep in mind that, at this time, these vaccines are currently in the trial phase. In preparation for their approval, a new coding structure has been created. According to a special edition of the AMA’s CPT Assistant, 

This new structure differs substantially from that used for extant vaccines. This is due in part to the rapid development of these vaccines, the request to track the administration of each individual vaccine and the need for a long-term viable solution that will enable the Panel to add codes as new vaccines become available without affecting other subsections of the code set. Instead, instructional parenthetical notes will be added throughout the code set, directing users to the appropriate subsection for COVID-19 vaccine codes.

The new vaccines must be administered in two doses, so the new administration codes (0001A-0012A) specify which dose is being administered and include risk/benefit counseling when performed. Having two separate codes for dosage administration will help to identify patients who may still need to get a second dose as well as WHEN they received the second dose.

The new vaccine codes are:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free;

    91300 30 mcg/0.3mL dosage, diluent reconstituted, for intramuscular use

    91301 100 mcg/0.5mL dosage, for intramuscular use

In addition to these codes, a new Appendix (Appendix Q) has been added to be part of the CPT codebook. This appendix includes the manufacturer, vaccine name, NDC product ID, and dosing interval information. This information is essential to ensure that you are reporting the correct codes for the vaccine being administered.

Alert: Although these codes have been released, they are not effective until they have been granted either Emergency Use Authorization or approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

These codes and their guidelines have been added to FindACode.com and can be viewed immediately. However, do not use them until they are officially effective.