AHA Coding Clinic Newsletter for HCPCS

What’s in AHA’s Coding Clinic for HCPCS, Third Quarter 2026 Release?

AHA Central Office

HCPCS; Coding Clinic; Q3; 2026; CMS; AMA

AHA Coding Clinic Newsletter for HCPCS

The Third Quarter 2026 issue of the AHA Coding Clinic for HCPCS newsletter will be released September 25, 2026. Here are some highlights!

HCPCS Level II Code C9761 Revision

The newsletter begins with an explanation of a new HCPCS Level II code and the revision of an existing HCPCS Level II code for reporting certain cystourethroscopy procedures involving ureteroscopy and/or pyeloscopy with lithotripsy and urinary tract aspiration techniques. The new and revised code descriptors clarify the distinction between procedures performed with a suction-enabled ureteral access sheath and those performed with a steerable ureteral catheter or suction-integrated ureteroscope. 

For Your Information

HCPCS Level II Codes

The newsletter addresses a subset of the new, deleted, and revised HCPCS Level II codes effective July 1, 2026, including:

  • 40 new HCPCS Level II codes,
  • 1 deleted HCPCS Level II codes, and  
  • 5 revised HCPCS Level II codes.  

New and Revised CPT Category III Codes

The newsletter provides an overview of the recent changes to the CPT Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) codes, including:

  • 58 new codes, and
  • 3 revised codes.  

These changes have an effective date of October 1, 2026.  

New CPT PLA Codes

Finally, the newsletter provides an overview of the recent changes to the CPT Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) codes, including:

  • 39 new codes,
  • 3 deleted codes, and  
  • 3 revised codes.  

These changes have an effective date of October 1, 2026.

For a full listing of the code changes, see the HCPCS Quarterly Update file.

Ask the Editor

The newsletter includes coding advice for 8 questions on the following topics:

  1. Arteriovenous Fistula Revision with Angioplasty
  2. Laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy
  3. Application and Removal of External Fixation
  4. Application of Capsaicin Patch
  5. 3D Printed Fat Graft Insertion into Mastectomy Defect
  6. Ligament Repair with Fiber Tape and Soft Tissue Bone Anchor
  7. Endoscopic Esophageal Stent Securement
  8. Endoscopic Transection of Spinal Nerves

Please refer to the CPT codebook for additional, comprehensive reporting guidelines and the full list of the code changes on CMS’s website.  

As always, please read the Third Quarter 2026 volume of AHA Coding Clinic for HCPCS entirely for the best source of medical coding information. 

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