IR UpFront Advocacy updates
AMA CPT® Editorial Panel update
SIR CPT® Advisor, Ashok Bhanushali, MD, MBA, FSIR; Alternate CPT® Advisor, Julie C. Bulman, MD; CPT® Member, Alexandra Fairchild, MD, FSIR, and SIR staff attended the American Medical Association (AMA) CPT® Editorial Panel meeting from Sept. 18–20.
SIR, with collaborating societies, proposed CAT I codes for renal nerve denervation and prostate biopsy services and CAT III codes for surface mesh volume. If the Category I codes are approved, they will be referred to the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) to be surveyed for the January 2026 meeting. CAT III codes approved at this meeting will take eff ect on July 1,2026. CAT I codes will take eff ect Jan. 1, 2027. See the Editorial Summary of Panel Actions for full details of the meeting.
SIR’s CPT® and RUC advisors are able to fi ght for IR because of your membership in the AMA. SIR is up for AMA seat renewal in 2026. Help us keep winning for IR. Don’t forget to renew your membership with AMA so we can keep IR’s seat at the table and infl uence the decisions made about the future of your practice. The new AMA term begins Jan. 1, 2026.
Action plans and code sets presented at RUC meeting
SIR Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) Advisor Minhaj S. Khaja, MD, MBA, FSIR; Alternate RUC Advisor, Robert J. Kennedy, MD, FSIR; RUC member Nainesh Parikh, MD, MBA, and SIR staff attended the American Medical Association RUC meeting on Sept 24–27.
SIR led fi ve action plans and presented three code sets to the RUC panel. RUC meetings are confi dential. CMS will address RUC recommendations in the 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule. At that time, all RUC recommendations, minutes and votes will be publicly available online. Survey preparations for the January 2026 RUC meeting have begun. If you receive a RUC survey from SIR for a procedure that you perform, please complete it as soon as possible.
irq.sirweb.org | 11
Updated carrier advocacy coverage letters
The carrier advocacy team has recently completed its literature update for prostate artery embolization and varicocele/ gonadal vein embolization letters. These letters are designed to help IR’s during the authorization, appeal or denial process with any payor denying this service. As an SIR member you can download them from the Business Center for free.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
