Overview
The American Medical Association owns the rights to all CPT® codes and is now enforcing the collection of licensing fees for each Rendering Provider who submits Claims utilizing these codes.
Similar to all practice management and EHR companies, we are required to collect licensing fees for CPT® codes annually on behalf of the AMA. Fees should be collected via your primary payment method. For 2021, the fee is $18 per provider.
For more information on the AMA CPT® Code licensing fees, please visit this link.
FAQs
- Why haven’t I been charged for AMA CPT codes on previous billing statements?
The AMA has increased the enforcement of its copyright. All practice management and EHR organizations are now legally required to annually collect licensing fees for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes on behalf of the AMA. - Do I need to pay for providers who are not using AMA CPT® codes?
No, providers who have not used or will not use CPT® codes during the 2021 calendar year will not be charged. - Will I be charged sales tax for the AMA CPT codes licensing fee?
Applicable taxes will not be charged on this billing cycle but may be charged in the future. - Will the fee be raised next year?
We will communicate ahead of time about any future CPT® Code fee increases made by the AMA. - Can I pay the AMA directly?
No, the AMA will charge all EHR companies for the use of their CPT® codes. For this reason, we will be collecting the fees on their behalf.
- How is TheraNest identifying providers who have used CPT® Codes?
Any provider who was/is added as a rendering provider on an invoice in 2021 for a service with a CPT code will be considered a provider eligible for the 201 AMA Licensing Fee. - Even if an actual claim is not submitted, the fee will be applied.
- If you didn't create any invoices with CPT codes in 2021, you will not be billed the fee.
- When will billing take place for 2022 AMA CPT code usage?
Providers utilizing the AMA CPT codes in 2022 will be billed in early 2022. You will receive:- The 2021 CPT License Fee for 2021 usage was billed on December 14, 2021 OR January 4, 2022.
- The 2022 CPT License Fee will be billed in April 2022.
You may receive additional AMA CPT code charges for any incremental providers who utilize CPT codes and were not previously billed in early 2022. (e.g., If a new provider joins a practice in March, and utilizes CPT codes, the practice will be charged $18 for the addition of the new provider.)
- How will the fee be charged in the future?
In 2022 and going forward, Org Admins will have the option to subscribe each staff member to a CPT license for the year. There will be a new tab for AMA CPT license under the Manage Subscriptions page, and the fee will be charged when a staff member is subscribed to the license.
- Unless a staff member has a license, they will be unable to be added to an invoice with a CPT code.
- The staff member license is good for a calendar year, and will automatically renew each year unless it is canceled in advance.
- How will the fee appear on my TheraNest invoice?
The charge description will say: 2021 AMA CPT License - {first name} {last name} ({user npi}) - I use other billing tools with these codes too. Do I only need to pay this fee once per year, per provider or will I need to pay for each billing tool I use?
The AMA is charging all practice management systems and EHRs a licensing fee per provider for use of the AMA CPT® Codes. We are unaware of how other billing software and solutions plan to accommodate these fees.
For Therapy Brands practice management and EHR solutions, your account will be charged $18 per provider that uses CPT® Codes. - How much does TheraNest profit from these fees?
TheraNest does not profit from the AMA Licensing Fees. The cost per qualified provider is for the usage of the AMA CPT codes.
The total cost per qualified provider is $18 for the 2021 calendar year - this includes the $17 AMA CPT code licensing fee and a $1 processing fee.