AMA Announces CPT Code for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for Young Kids

The American Medical Association (AMA) has updated the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set to include CPT codes for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six months through five years.

AMA has created the provisional CPT codes to help ensure that healthcare organizations and electronic systems are prepared if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants the Moderna pediatric COVID-19 vaccine an Emergency Use Authorization.

“Authorization of a vaccine for children age five and younger would be another important milestone in the fight against COVID-19,” Gerald Harmon, MD, president of AMA, said in the press release.

“Extending COVID-19 vaccination protection to approximately 18 million young children will significantly reduce their risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death, and give their parents incredible peace of mind. We strongly urge all parents to get their infants and toddlers vaccinated as soon as they are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.”

CPT codes help public health leaders track, report, and analyze vaccine data by distinguishing between the different vaccine types and dosing schedules. Healthcare professionals use this data to plan and allocate vaccine distribution. There are currently 38 CPT codes for reporting COVID-19 vaccines.

The product CPT code for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between six months and five years is as follows:

91311 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 25 mcg/0.25 mL dosage, for intramuscular use

The administration CPT codes for the first and second doses of the Moderna pediatric COVID-19 vaccine are as follows:

0111A Immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 25 mcg/0.25 mL dosage; first dose

0112A Immunization administration by intramuscular injection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 25 mcg/0.25 mL dosage; second dose

The AMA website contains short, medium, and long descriptors for the new vaccine-specific CPT codes. In addition, AMA offers a vaccine code finder resource to help healthcare professionals identify the proper CPT code combination for specific COVID-19 vaccine types and doses.

The CPT Editorial Panel establishes CPT code updates through an open editorial process. The panel considers feedback from the healthcare industry to ensure the updates reflect the coding demands of precision medicine, digital health, augmented intelligence, and other aspects of a modern healthcare system.

At the end of April 2022, AMA released a provisional CPT code for Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for children between 5 and 11 years old, which had not received FDA authorization at the time. Since then, the FDA has granted emergency use authorization for the shot.

In February 2022, AMA also created provisional CPT codes for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between six months and five years, though it has yet to receive FDA authorization.