WASHINGTON, DC – The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announced that former Board of Trustee member Daniel Buffington, PharmD, MBA, will be the first pharmacist to serve as a member of the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) Editorial Panel. He was initially appointed in 2004 as a CPT Advisor representing the entire pharmacy profession.

“It is truly an honor to represent pharmacists and the profession in this dynamic code development process,” said Dr. Buffington. “Pharmacists have developed a strong history of collaborative involvement and support from several of the leading national professional societies. CPT codes serve as a critical foundation to ensure clarity and accuracy in health care documentation and reimbursement.”

The panel meets multiple times per year and works directly with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health care practitioners, health plans, insurers, medical device and diagnostic manufacturers to develop new and innovative coding. The CPT process also includes appointed practitioners representing over 100 interprofessional specialty societies, and over 30 allied health specialties.

The CPT Editorial Panel ensures that CPT codes are up to date and support contemporary interdisciplinary practice models, clinical services, procedures, and diagnostic testing methods. The CPT coding system offers a uniform and standardized process for coding healthcare services, procedures, and diagnostic testing that streamlines the reporting and increases the accuracy and efficiency of healthcare billing. The CPT codes are essential to both traditional fee-for-service reimbursement and advanced value-based billing models.

CPT Advisors, for each specialty include, a practicing specialist, an additional practitioner as the CPT Alternate Advisor, and a staff member of a supporting professional society who routinely attends the CPT meetings to support the engagement and collaboration with other medical specialties and AMA staff involved with the coding development process.

“This is an important step in elevating awareness of the positive impact of pharmacists services and our commitment to the delivery of interprofessional care,” Dr. Buffington noted.

About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) organization, representing 60,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA is dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care and is the first and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. For more information, please visit the APhA website.