AMA Updates CPT Codes for Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine

The American Medical Association (AMA) has updated the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set to include a new code for administering pediatric doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in younger children.

AMA added CPT codes 91308, 0081A, and 0082A in anticipation of when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants Pfizer emergency use authorization for use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children between six months and five years of age.

The AMA opted to issue the codes in advance to guarantee that healthcare systems are prepared when the FDA authorizes the dose. 

“The AMA supports the goal of extending COVID-19 vaccination protection to a broader age range of children because it has proven highly effective at preventing illness and death,” Gerald Harmon, MD, AMA president, said in the press release. “We strongly urge all parents to get their infants and toddlers vaccinated as soon as they are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.”

The development of the unique codes enables better tracking, reporting, and analysis of vaccine doses, AMA stated.

The CPT code currently includes 32 unique codes for approved COVID-19 vaccines, including those created by AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer-BioNTech.

The CPT product and administration codes for the pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children in the age range of six months to five years are as follows:

• 0081A: 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, 3 mcg/0.2 mL dosage, diluent reconstituted, tris-sucrose formulation; first dose
• 0082A: 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, 3 mcg/0.2 mL dosage, diluent reconstituted, tris-sucrose formulation; second dose
• 91308: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) vaccine, mRNA-LNP, spike protein, preservative free, 3 mcg/0.2 mL dosage, diluent reconstituted, tris-sucrose formulation, for intramuscular use

Recently, AMA released a code for the third dose of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine in children five through 11 years of age. AMA stated that the FDA’s decision permits immunizers to boost immunocompromised children vulnerable to poor health outcomes if they become infected with COVID-19.

“Although children 5 and older have been eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine since November 2021, vaccination rates among children and adolescents remain low,” Harmon said in the previous announcement. “We strongly urge all parents to get their children fully vaccinated as soon as they are eligible