The system of CPT codes is used for its quick and convenient use; therefore, the codes in the various sections are systematized in anatomical or procedural order, which more accurately describes the service provided to the patient. The codes are divided into three categories, the first of which describes the most commonly used procedures, the second refers to additional codes, and the third represents new or temporary procedures (American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel, 2019). The CPT codebook is also divided into six sections, such as Evaluation and Management, Anesthesiology, Surgery, Radiology, Pathology and Laboratory, and Medicine (American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel, 2019). They are organized in a different numerological, procedural, or anatomical order for ease of use. For example, the Evaluation and Management section is located at the back of the book for ease of access.
At the same time, the section of surgery is ordered by organs or parts of the body, since an operation on one organ can include various procedures that are similar but different in degree of complexity. For example, in the management of liver hemorrhage, a simple suture or complex suture with or without hepatic artery ligation can be required depending on the injury (“Intro to CPT,” n.d.). Consequently, these procedures can be found under codes 47350 and 47360 in the digestive system portion subsection (“Intro to CPT,” n.d.). In this case, finding and changing the code is faster by organ but not suture procedure. At the same time, Medicine section codes are more difficult to categorize by type of body part or organ as they have different procedures and services for patients; for example, immunology and endocrinology subsections. Consequently, the nature of the information given in codes is logical for the specifics of the section and subsection in which it is presented and contributes to a more accurate and faster code search.
References
American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel. (2019). CPT professional 2020 (CPT / Current Procedural Terminology (professional edition). American Medical Association.
Intro into CPT coding. (n.d.). Web.