Q: Why haven’t I been charged for AMA CPT codes on previous billing statements?
A: AMA CPT codes charges for 2021 were invoiced in December 2021.
Q: Why haven’t I been charged for AMA CPT codes prior to 2021?
A: 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.
Q: Do I need to pay for Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) providers who are not using AMA CPT codes?
A: No, the fee does not apply to BCBA providers that do not or will not utilize CPT codes for their practice in 2022 calendar year.
Q: How are BCBA providers who have used CPT codes being identified?
A: Identifying BCBA providers who have used CPT codes in 2022 is dependent on your software. However, in most cases, any BCBA provider that submitted a claim in the 2022 calendar year, using a CPT code, with their name listed as the service provider, will be considered eligible for the 2022 AMA licensing fee.
Q: I use other billing tools in addition to AMA CPT codes. Do I only need to pay this fee once per year, per BCBA provider or will I need to pay for each billing tool I use?
A: You will be charged a total cost of $18 per BCBA provider for the 2022 calendar year. This total includes the $17 AMA CPT code licensing fee and a $1 processing fee. Applicable taxes will not be charged on this billing cycle but may be charged in the future.
We are unaware of how other billing software and solutions will accommodate annual AMA licensing fees.
Q: There are six providers in my practice, why was I charged for ten providers?
A: Any provider that submitted a claim in the 2022 calendar year, using a CPT code, with their name listed as the service provider, is eligible for the 2022 AMA licensing fee.
Q: Will I be billed if I had new providers to my practice after April 2022?
A: If new providers are added to your practice or if current providers use CPT codes for the first time, you will be billed for those providers at the end of that month. You may receive an additional 2022 invoice for any incremental providers who utilize CPT codes after April and were not previously billed.
Q: Will I be charged sales tax for the AMA CPT codes licensing fee?
A: Applicable taxes will not be charged on this billing cycle but may be charged in the future.
Q: Can I pay the AMA directly?
A: No, the AMA will charge all practice management and EHR organizations for the use of its CPT codes. For this reason, we are legally required collect the fees on behalf of the AMA.
Q: How much do you profit from these fees?
A: We do not profit from 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 2022 calendar year – this includes the $17 AMA CPT code licensing fee and a $1 processing fee. (Please note: the fee does not apply to providers that do not utilize CPT codes for their practice.)