ADA seeks representative for medical coding committee

Nominations are open from Sept. 21-Oct. 21

The American Dental Association is seeking nominations for its alternate representative on the American Medical Association’s CPT Advisory Committee.

The advisory committee consists of members from national medical specialty societies that are seated in the American Medical Association House of Delegates as well as other invited specialty societies, including the ADA. It offers advice to the CPT Editorial Panel on Current Procedural Terminology codes as they relate to each committee member’s specialty.

The ADA has both a primary and an alternate adviser on the CPT Advisory Committee who represent the dental industry’s needs when it comes to CPT codes. Based on the American Medical Association’s requirement that advisers have medical licenses, the ADA has collaborated with the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons to place qualified individuals on the committee.

Because the alternate adviser position recently became open, the ADA is accepting nominations from Sept. 21-Oct. 21 as part of a new, open appointment process. The position is for a three-year term.

In addition to giving advice to the CPT Editorial Panel on procedure coding and appropriate nomenclature in relation to members’ specialties, the advisory committee's objectives are to:

• Provide documentation to staff and the CPT Editorial Panel regarding the medical appropriateness of various medical and surgical procedures under consideration for inclusion in the CPT code set.
• Suggest revisions to the code set. 
• Assist in the review and further development of relevant coding issues and the preparation of technical education material and articles pertaining to the code set.
• Promote and educate its membership on the use and benefits of the code set.

Besides having a current license to practice medicine in the U.S., other American Medical Association requirements for advisers include:

• AMA membership.
• Commitment to participate in all aspects of the CPT process. 
• Willingness to work with CPT coding staff on coding issues on a regular basis.
• Willingness to participate in an AMA staff orientation session and/or mentoring by current committee members. 
• Commitment to coordinate with their nominating specialty society staff and physician leadership, including the society’s delegation to the AMA House of Delegates.
• Email capabilities for speedy communication.
• Agreement to comply with the AMA guidelines for committee and council expenses.

American Medical Association preferences for advisers include holding a position on a specialty society coding committee and being involved in direct patient care.

The ADA also requires its advisers to have a dual degree with either a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree and an M.D. degree and prefers them to have familiarity and experience with the CPT process. The primary adviser is required to attend the committee’s in-person annual meeting in February and perform all required duties. The alternate is expected to shadow that position by also attending the meeting and being privy to and collaborating on the duties carried out by the primary adviser.

Nominations for alternate adviser should be sent to dentalcode@ada.org for review by the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs. They need to include a curriculum vitae that is no more than three pages and a formal letter to the ADA outlining familiarity, experience and interest in the CPT process, procedure coding and nomenclature. Nominations for primary adviser will open in February 2025.

To learn more about the CPT code process, visit the American Medical Association website.