I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Tim and I had our entire family here, our two sons and their families, including 9 of our 10 grandchildren, one girlfriend, and my sister. They literally came from North, South, East, and West! So needless to say, it was glorious chaos, emphasis on glorious! The weather cooperated as the snow came in just after everyone was able to get to the airport and get on the road for home, so good and safe travel for all. We are so blessed and so grateful.
As I sit at my desk today, it’s snowing outside here in Colorado. So far, we probably have 5 or 6 inches and still falling. Winter has arrived! I love freshly fallen snow and am getting into the Christmas spirit. Time to take down Fall décor and put up Christmas! I love this time of year! And with the change of the season, we start to look forward to our next holiday, and then on to the New Year. As I look ahead, a few things come to mind.
First of all, there are the new codes for 2026. To coders, that feels a bit like Christmas! In my last blog, I talked about ICD-10-CM updates which became effective on October 1, 2025. CPT and HCPCS will also see some code changes in the new year.
Per the AMA1, there are “418 total changes reflected in CPT 2026 code set, including 84 deletions and 46 revisions in addition to the 288 new codes. The CPT code set continues to expand in new areas of medicine with proprietary laboratory analyses accounting for the largest proportion of new codes (27%). Category III CPT codes for emerging medical services accounted for more than a quarter of new codes (27%), supporting further innovation in health care.”
Per CMS2, there are 556 total changes to the HCPCS code set since the September updates, including 160 additions, 101 discontinued codes, 294 long description changes, and 1 short description change. I encourage you to check out the resources below as you start receiving your code books. That way, you will be able to easily identify the code changes in your books as you prepare for coding and billing in 2026.
Lastly, as we look forward to the new year, I am currently registering those who will be in our next medical coding course that begins on January 10, 2026, and runs through May. If you are interested in becoming a certified medical coder or know someone who is, check out the FAQs and student testimonials here on my website. When you register on the Mailing List, you will receive additional information, including a link to the free Catalog and Enrollment Agreement. And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to answer your questions and explore whether this course is right for your career goals and aspirations.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! May you have a wonder-filled holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year!
2. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/healthcare-common-procedure-system/quarterly-update
