As a result of APA’s advocacy work with the American Medical Association (AMA), several new services, typically performed by psychologists, will be recognized in the AMA’s 2026 CPT Professional (the official Current Procedural Terminology codebook/manual) as telehealth services that may be rendered via a real-time (synchronous) interactive audio-video and/or audio-only telecommunications system. Appendix P and Appendix T of the CPT Manual list codes that are now recognized by the CPT Editorial Panel as services with evidence supporting the benefits of performing these services via telehealth and can sufficiently meet the key components and requirements of the same service rendered via a face-to-face interaction.
Group psychotherapy (code 90853), group caregiver behavior management/modification training (codes 96202, 96203), developmental testing services (codes 96112, 96113), psychological and neuropsychological testing evaluation services (codes 96130, 96131, 96132, 96133), and psychological and neuropsychological test administration and scoring services (codes 96136, 96137, 96138, 96139) will all be recognized and listed in Appendix P—CPT Codes That May Be Used for Synchronous Real-Time Interactive Audio-Video Telemedicine as well as in Appendix T—CPT Codes That May Be Used for Synchronous Real-Time Interactive Audio-Only Telemedicine Services, except developmental testing services (codes 96112, 96113).
The addition of these codes allows for increased flexibility in how these services are delivered and can help to mitigate significant barriers to care, especially in rural, underserved, and vulnerable populations. APA Services continues to closely monitor the upcoming November publication of the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule to see whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement the proposal to eliminate the “provisional telehealth service” designation and instead classify all current codes as permanent services on the Medicare Telehealth Services List. This would result in the psychological and neuropsychological testing codes being permanently listed on the CMS telehealth list.
Having codes listed on both the AMA and CMS telehealth lists should make it easier to advocate with commercial payers for continued reimbursement of these services provided by telehealth. APA Services will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.
