AMA CPT Code Changes: What Behavioral Health Practices Should Check

AMA CPT code changes arrive every year, and the 2026 set took effect January 1, 2026. The American Medical Association (AMA) says the 2026 CPT code set adds 288 new codes, with 418 total changes including 84 deletions and 46 revisions. For behavioral health practices, the practical question is which of your codes, modifiers and telehealth rules moved. This guide summarizes what the AMA published and what to check on Monday morning. Start with the AMA’s own CPT 2026 code set announcement.

What did the AMA change in the 2026 CPT code set?

Item	AMA figure (CPT 2026)
New codes	288
Deletions	84
Revisions	46
Total changes	418
Effective date	January 1, 2026

Source: AMA, 288 new CPT codes cover digital health, AI and more (September 2025). The AMA also says several existing behavioral health codes were added to CPT Appendices P and T, the lists of codes that can be reported by audio-video or audio-only telemedicine. The AMA frames this as added flexibility in how behavioral health services are delivered. Read the AMA article for the exact code list before you update your templates.

Do the AMA CPT code changes affect your psychotherapy codes?

The core psychotherapy and evaluation codes in our CPT & E/M Code Guide (90791, 90792, 90832, 90834, 90837, 90839, 90846 and 90847) are the ones to confirm first. This post does not claim any of them was deleted or revised. Check each against the current AMA CPT manual, because the AMA publishes the complete code descriptors there.

What to do Monday morning

• Open your EHR or superbill code list and compare it with the AMA’s 2026 changes
• Search for any code you bill that was deleted or revised
• Ask each payer whether it has adopted the telemedicine appendix changes, and for which plans
• Review your telehealth place of service and modifier settings against each payer’s current policy
• Update your note templates if a descriptor changed, using the documentation requirements guide as a base

AMA CPT code changes and Medicare, private payer and state rules

• CPT (AMA): sets the codes and descriptors. It does not set coverage or payment.
• Medicare (CMS.gov): decides which CPT codes it pays and how. Compare against CMS’s Physician Fee Schedule look-up tool.
• Private payers: adopt code changes on their own schedules. Ask for the written policy.
• State law and Medicaid: varies by state. A code that exists in CPT may not be covered by a state Medicaid program.

What psychotherapists and psychiatrists should know about AMA CPT code changes

• Psychotherapists: confirm your individual, family and crisis psychotherapy codes, then check telehealth rules by payer.
• Psychiatrists: confirm E/M and psychotherapy add-on codes (+90833, +90836, +90838) and any change to the telemedicine appendices.

AMA CPT code changes: common questions

Common mistakes with AMA CPT code changes

• Waiting for a denial before checking the new code set
• Updating the EHR code list but not the superbill or note templates
• Assuming a payer adopted a change because the AMA published it
• Assuming a code in CPT is covered by Medicare or a state Medicaid program
• Reading a summary instead of the current AMA CPT descriptor

How MCM South handles these claims

MCM South Medical Billing Service works only in mental and behavioral health, with solo and mid-size practices run by psychotherapists and psychiatrists. We verify insurance benefits, submit claims electronically, follow up on denied and rejected claims, file secondary claims and bill out-of-network claims for clients. Clean code selection and complete notes at the front end keep that work simple, so most of the checklist above is what we review first. If you want a second pair of eyes on AMA CPT code changes in your own claims, we can walk through it with you.

How do you check which AMA CPT code changes affect your claims?

Treat every annual update as a short project with an owner and a date. A one-hour review now costs less than a month of denials later.

• Export your top codes. Pull the ten to fifteen codes your practice bills most from your billing system.
• Compare them with the AMA list. Check each code against the AMA’s published additions, deletions and revisions for the year.
• Update the tools staff use. Fix the EHR code list, superbill and note templates so nobody bills from an old descriptor.
• Ask the payers. Request each payer’s written position on the changes, including any telemedicine appendix updates.
• Spot-check claims. Review a small sample of claims after the first billing cycle and fix any pattern early.

The AMA CPT code changes are published once a year, but payers adopt them on their own schedules. Keep a running list of which payer has confirmed what, and the date you confirmed it.

Where this applies

MCM South Medical Billing Service bills mental and behavioral health claims for psychotherapists and psychiatrists in Georgia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois. Payer rules differ by state and by plan, so confirm which changes each payer has adopted before you bill. Ready for help? Get a free quote or schedule a consultation.

For quick reference only: verify against the current AMA CPT manual and each payer’s policy before billing. Operational billing guidance, not legal advice. Current as of last search (sources checked 9/29/26).

Related resources

• CPT and non-E/M code guide
• Mental health parity
• Electronic remittance advice (ERA)
• Resources hub for behavioral health billing
• Billing Terms Glossary
• MCM South billing services