The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT?) code set reflects the changes and pace of modern medicine

The American Medical Association (AMA), a SNOMED CT Expo 2022 event sponsor, highlights the latest on the enhanced SNOMED CT and CPT mapping, and new developments in social determinants of health (SDOH) data standardization

?SNOMED International is pleased to announce that the American Medical Association (AMA) is one of the repeating sponsors at this year’s SNOMED CT Expo 2022. We spoke with Dean Parisi, the AMA’s Director of Emerging Markets, to ask him to introduce the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT?) code set and the AMA’s work supporting health systems around the globe.

Q: As a long-time supporter of the SNOMED annual event, what do you see as the value of sponsoring and presenting at SNOMED CT Expos?

DP: The AMA is committed to data-driven solutions that address the global challenges of healthcare. We know the challenges facing physicians, administrators and governments and seek opportunities to share our experience to find solutions in collaboration with others.

SNOMED International and its community of health care leaders are addressing these challenges too.?We sponsor the annual SNOMED event to foster our relationship with SNOMED International, to highlight how the language of CPT can support and advance the work of SNOMED CT Expo attendees, and to collaborate with members of the SNOMED community.

It will be my pleasure to introduce Dr. Gong Mengchun as the 2022 SNOMED CT Expo James Read Memorial Lecturer on Friday, September 30.

Q: The AMA and SNOMED International announced a new, enhanced CPT? to SNOMED CT? Rules-based Cross Maps in 2022 for organizations seeking to gain the benefits from both terminologies. ?Can you share more about the value of these enhanced maps for the SNOMED community???

DP: The AMA developed an enhanced map between the CPT code set and SNOMED CT to support the value gained by integrating these two leading global terminologies. The new map has been validated by SNOMED International for accuracy to help organizations improve and leverage the connection between the two terminologies.

Last year, we presented our work on the enhanced map and the value that it delivers to users of SNOMED CT. Mapping CPT codes to SNOMED CT care pathways help to inform health system decisions on resource allocations that can reduce costs and improve access to care while delivering the same quality outcomes. Using CPT content on top of care documented in SNOMED CT enables better visibility into the operational aspects of the care paths and can potentially unlock productivity and efficiency improvements within any health system. We also see U.S.-based organizations enabled to map SNOMED CT interventions into procedures for reimbursement submissions and health analytics to answer key challenges.

I will be joined in Lisbon by AMA Health Solutions director of Product Management, Julio Rodriguez, who can share more details about the enhanced CPT and SNOMED mapping. You also can visit our website to learn how our new CPT? to SNOMED CT? Rules-based Cross Maps can deliver value to your health system.??

Q: The AMA will be presenting on the significant progress of the Gravity Project to develop social determinants of the health (SDOH) terminology and data standardization.?What is that initiative and why will it interest our SNOMED community? ??

DP: Research estimates that SDOH account for 80% of the factors influencing a patient's health, while access and quality of care accounts for only 20%. There is growing awareness that SDOH data can help health systems improve whole person care outcomes and lower the overall costs of care.

The Gravity Project was launched with the support of over 800 organizations to create terminology and FHIR data standards across 18 SDOH domains. Corey Smith, vice president of Informatics and Digital Products at the AMA, will share a progress report on the Gravity Project at SNOMED CT Expo 2022 and introduce paths for potential involvement by others in the SNOMED CT community. We hope that you will attend and consider involvement with this important health care data initiative. ?