New CPT Codes 2027: 299 New, 74 Revised, 80 Deleted. What Changes on January 1

Quick Answer: The CPT 2027 code set takes effect January 1, 2027. The AMA counts 453 editorial changes: 299 new codes, 74 revisions and 80 deletions. The biggest changes are a complete rebuild of maternity care coding (the global obstetric codes such as 59400 and 59510 are deleted), 10 new codes for AI-enabled services, and new codes for diaphragmatic hernia repair, unattended sleep studies and ventricular assist devices.

Every January, a handful of practices find out the hard way that a code they billed for years no longer exists. The claims come back denied, the AR clock keeps running, and nobody saw it coming because nobody updated the superbill in December.

2027 raises the stakes. The new CPT codes for 2027, the largest set of CPT code changes in years, include the biggest change to obstetric billing in decades, plus a growing set of codes for AI-enabled services. This guide explains what changed, why you will see two different code counts online, which specialties are most affected, and exactly what your billing team should do before January 1. All numbers come from the AMA’s CPT 2027 release and the AMA’s maternity care code change page.

CPT 2027 by the Numbers

Why Some Sources Say 111 New CPT Codes for 2027

If you have seen a smaller number, you are not imagining it. The AMA’s 299 figure counts every change in the 2027 code set, including codes released early during the year, such as Proprietary Laboratory Analyses and other early-release codes that are already in effect. AAPC points out that if you leave out those early-release codes, the changes that actually switch on January 1, 2027 are 111 new codes, 63 deletions and 60 revisions.

For your billing team, the second number is the practical one: those are the changes that will break claims on January 1 if your systems are not updated.

New OB Codes 2027: Global Maternity Billing Is Replaced

For decades, obstetric care was billed with global codes that bundled nine months of antepartum visits, delivery and postpartum care into one payment. Starting January 1, 2027, that model is gone. The AMA has replaced it with separate reporting for four phases of care:

• Antepartum care: reported per visit with standard E/M codes, with the setting of care (office, hospital or telehealth) taken into account.
• Labor management: reported once per calendar date, with separate initial and subsequent-day codes at straightforward and complex levels.
• Delivery: streamlined codes for vaginal and cesarean births, with routine postpartum care on the day of delivery included.
• Postpartum care: reported per visit with E/M codes, and subsequent hospital care codes for each day after a facility birth until discharge.

What this means in practice: OB practices move from one large claim at the end of a pregnancy to many smaller claims across it. That changes cash flow timing, how visits are documented, how eligibility is checked across a pregnancy, and how payer contracts priced the old global fee. Practices that wait until January to rebuild their workflows will feel it in their AR first. For the full descriptors and guidelines, use the AMA’s CPT 2027 codebook.

New AI CPT Codes for 2027

CPT 2027 adds 10 new codes for services that involve artificial intelligence, bringing the total number of AI-related CPT codes to 43, according to the AMA. The AMA also updated its taxonomy for AI in medical services, which guides how these codes describe the work the AI performs versus the work the physician performs. If your practice uses AI-assisted diagnostic or analysis tools, review whether any of these new codes apply, and check payer coverage before billing them. A new code does not guarantee a payer will pay for it.

Other Key CPT Code Changes for 2027

What CPT 2027 Means for Your Specialty

• OB/GYN and family medicine: the most affected. Rebuild superbills, EHR order sets and payer fee schedules for the new phase-based maternity codes before January 1.
• Behavioral health and pain management: biofeedback moves to a time-based structure, so documentation must capture time. Review your templates if you bill biofeedback.
• Sleep medicine and primary care: new unattended sleep study codes may affect home sleep testing workflows.
• Surgery, cardiology, urology and radiology: new or revised codes for hernia repair, ventricular assist devices, prostate biopsy and MR angiography.
• Any practice using AI tools: check the 10 new AI codes against the tools you use and confirm payer coverage first.

Dental practices bill with CDT codes rather than CPT for most services, so CPT 2027 has limited direct impact on dental claims. DME suppliers bill mostly with HCPCS Level II codes, which follow a separate quarterly update cycle.

Deleted CPT Codes 2027: What Happens If You Bill One After January 1

HIPAA requires payers and providers to use the code set that is valid on the date of service. A claim for a service on or after January 1, 2027 that uses a deleted code, such as the old global maternity codes, will be rejected or denied. Services provided on or before December 31, 2026 are still billed with the 2026 codes, even if you submit the claim in January. That split is where many January denials come from, so make sure your system codes by date of service, not by claim date. If deleted-code denials do slip through, our guide to denials in medical billing explains how to correct and resubmit them.

Will Medicare Pay for the New CPT 2027 Codes?

CPT codes tell payers what was done. How much Medicare pays for each new code is set separately in the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which CMS finalizes each fall. Commercial payers set their own rates and may take time to load new codes into their systems. Before January, check each major payer’s policy for the codes you will bill most, especially the new maternity codes and any AI codes.

Your CPT 2027 Checklist Before January 1

1. Get the official CPT 2027 code set and guidelines from the AMA and identify every new, revised and deleted code your practice uses.
2. Update your practice management system, EHR, charge master and superbills, with the effective date set to January 1, 2027.
3. Remove deleted codes from templates and quick-pick lists so nobody selects them after December 31.
4. Update fee schedules and check payer contracts that reference deleted codes, especially global maternity fees.
5. Review prior authorization lists, since payers may add new codes to their requirements.
6. Train providers and coders on the changes that affect your specialty, especially new documentation rules such as time-based biofeedback.
7. Hold December 2026 dates of service to 2026 codes and January 2027 dates of service to 2027 codes.
8. Watch denials closely in January and February and fix the root cause the first time a pattern appears.

A quick pre-January review of your highest-volume codes is one of the cheapest ways to protect Q1 cash flow. Our medical billing audit guide shows how to run one.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many new CPT codes are there for 2027?

The AMA reports 299 new codes, 74 revisions and 80 deletions in the CPT 2027 code set, for 453 total editorial changes. Excluding early-release codes that are already in effect, AAPC counts 111 new codes, 63 deletions and 60 revisions that take effect on January 1, 2027.

How many CPT codes are deleted on January 1, 2027?

The AMA counts 80 deleted codes in the CPT 2027 code set. Leaving out early-release changes, AAPC counts 63 deletions that take effect on January 1, 2027. The largest group is the 17 maternity care codes, including the global obstetric codes 59400 and 59510.

When do the CPT 2027 codes take effect?

The CPT 2027 code set takes effect on January 1, 2027. Services provided on or after that date must be billed with the 2027 codes. Services provided on or before December 31, 2026 are billed with the 2026 codes, even if the claim is submitted in 2027.

What happened to the global maternity codes like 59400 and 59510?

They are deleted in CPT 2027, along with 15 other maternity codes. The AMA replaced the global obstetric package with separate reporting for antepartum care, labor management, delivery and postpartum care, using 12 new codes plus standard E/M codes for visits.

Are there new AI CPT codes in 2027?

Yes. CPT 2027 adds 10 new codes for AI-enabled services, bringing the total number of AI-related CPT codes to 43, according to the AMA. Payer coverage for these codes varies, so confirm it before billing.

Can I still use a deleted CPT code after January 1, 2027?

No, not for services provided on or after January 1, 2027. HIPAA requires the code set valid on the date of service, so claims using deleted codes for 2027 dates of service will be rejected or denied.

Does CPT 2027 affect dental and DME billing?

Only a little. Dental practices bill most services with CDT codes, and DME suppliers bill mostly with HCPCS Level II codes, which follow their own update schedules. Practices that bill both medical and dental, or both CPT and HCPCS, should still review the changes.

Start 2027 Without a January Denial Spike

Code set changes are predictable, which means the denials they cause are preventable. If your team is stretched thin heading into year-end, a billing partner that updates code sets, payer rules and templates before January 1 can keep your Q1 collections on track. See how our medical billing services handle annual code updates, or talk to our denial management team about cleaning up January denials fast.

CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Code descriptors are available in the AMA’s CPT 2027 code set; this article summarizes the changes in our own words.

Written by

Ajay Pillai CEO & Founder, Aayur Solutions LLC

Ajay Pillai is the CEO of Aayur Solutions LLC, a U.S.-based medical billing and revenue cycle management company serving DME/HME providers, dental practices, pain management clinics, and specialty care organizations. With 17+ years of hands-on RCM experience, he has led billing operations, denial management workflows, and prior authorization programs for healthcare providers across the United States. Ajay holds credentials from the Indian Institute of Management and Case Western Reserve University, and is based in Sheridan, Wyoming. He holds a management qualification from IIM Calcutta and a certificate from Case Western Reserve University's health management programme.

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