Statement attributable to:
Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH
President, American Medical Association
“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ decision to adopt the modernized CPT® codes for reporting maternal care services is a significant step to advance maternal health in the United States. This profound change will deliver better, more accurate data and save lives.
“On January 1, 2027, the 30-year-old global maternity care bundle will be replaced with a code framework that better reflects contemporary obstetric practice. This is one of the most significant changes to maternity care coding in decades and more accurately captures how pregnancy care is delivered today.
“The new codes will provide more meaningful clinical information, adding new insight and transparency for physicians and researchers looking to improve maternal health by better understanding the clinical drivers of maternal mortality. Ultimately, patients benefit when physicians have better information to understand pregnancy-related complications, identify opportunities to improve care and make more informed clinical decisions.”
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Editor’s Note: The American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists led the development of the modernized CPT maternity care service codes through a nearly two-year process involving obstetricians, family physicians, certified nurse midwives and payers. The new codes will provide better data to improve outcomes for mothers and babies and support future maternal health research and payment models. The revised codes are not expected to increase patient cost-sharing. The AMA will work with CMS, physicians, health systems, payers and technology vendors to support a smooth transition.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
