Cardiovascular software developer HeartFlow highlighted that CT procedures for estimating fractional flow reserve (FFR) have transitioned to a single category I Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code beginning January 1, 2024.
Practices will have one new category I code (75580) that describes non-invasive estimates of FFR based on software analysis of coronary CT angiography data, the company noted.
FFR-CT is a modeling technique that estimates coronary flow from routine coronary CT angiography (CTA) scans. HeartFlow’s FFR-CT Analysis software creates a 3D model of a patient's arteries, with algorithms then simulating blood flow to help clinicians assess the effect of blocked arteries.
In the hospital setting, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increased payment for FFR-CT service by approximately 7% for 2024, HeartFlow noted. The new code can be used for hospital outpatient, physician offices, or imaging centers. As part of converting to a category I code, relative value units (RVUs) have also been assigned to FFR-CT, which provides payment to physicians for the service, the company added.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), American College of Radiology (ACR), and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) petitioned the American Medical Association for the single code, which replaces four existing category III CPT codes.
HeartFlow’s FFR-CT Analysis technology was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2014 and the new code for FFR-CT will provide broader access to its technology, the company said.
