AHA Coding Clinic® for HCPCS - 2025 Quarter 4; For Your Information
New, Deleted and Revised CPT Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) codes Effective January 1, 2026
The most recent changes to the CPT PLA codes include 14 additions, 10 deletions and 5 long descriptor revisions. New CPT PLA Codes CPT Code Long Descriptor Effective Date 0600U Infectious disease (wound infection), identification of 65 organisms and 30 antibiotic resistance genes, wound swab, real-time PCR, reported as positive or negative for each organism January 1, 2026 0601U Infectious disease (periprosthetic joint infection), analysis of 11 biomarkers (alpha defensins 1–3, C-reactive protein, microbial antigens for Staphylococcus [SPA, SPB], Enterococcus, Candida, and C. acnes, total nucleated cell count, percent neutrophils, RBC count, and absorbance at 280 nm)...
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Article Overview
This article provides a public overview of CPT Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) code changes effective January 1, 2026, with additional revision updates released to the AMA website on October 1, 2025. It is useful for coders, billing staff, compliance teams, laboratory professionals, and reimbursement analysts who need to track PLA additions, deletions, and descriptor updates across multiple clinical areas such as infectious disease, oncology, reproductive medicine, transplantation, neurology, endocrinology, hematology, nephrology, allergy and immunology, and drug testing. The article also references related guidance for code assignment where applicable.
Why This Topic Matters
PLA code updates can affect laboratory reporting, claims processing, and code maintenance workflows across many specialties. Tracking these annual changes helps organizations stay aligned with current CPT content and avoid using retired or outdated PLA entries.
Article Sections
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New CPT PLA Codes
Lists newly added PLA entries and their effective date. The section spans multiple specialties and laboratory methodologies.
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Deleted CPT PLA Codes
Lists PLA entries scheduled for deletion and their effective date. It also includes associated parenthetical notes where present.
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Revised CPT PLA Codes
Summarizes PLA entries with long descriptor revisions and the date those updates were released to the AMA website. The section covers several laboratory and oncology-related items.
What You Will Learn
- Which PLA codes are newly added, deleted, or revised for the 2026 update cycle.
- Which broad clinical and laboratory categories are affected by the PLA changes.
- Which entries are tied to AMA website release updates versus a January 1, 2026 effective date.
- How the article organizes PLA changes into additions, deletions, and descriptor revisions.
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Laboratory billing staff
- Compliance teams
- Reimbursement analysts
- Clinical laboratory professionals
- Revenue cycle teams
Codes Discussed
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