What was released
The American Medical Association released the 2027 CPT code set on September 9, 2026. The ABA Coding Coalition reported the next day that the code set adds 299 new codes and that six of them belong to the recently revised adaptive behavior services code set, with five digit numbers assigned by the AMA. The Coalition's page points readers to upcoming webinars for details.
The six codes, as reported by Acuity News
Acuity News reported on September 15, 2026 that the six new codes are: 97148, assessment of harmful behavior delivered by two technicians; 97149, an add-on for each additional technician during that assessment; 97159, treatment of harmful behavior delivered by two technicians; 97160, an add-on for each additional technician during that treatment; 97173, face to face adaptive behavior treatment with analysis by a physician or other qualified professional; and 97180, non face to face adaptive behavior services such as data review, clinical decisions and technician training.
Changes to existing codes
Acuity reported that 97155 is revised to cover directing a technician and analysis by a physician or other qualified professional, with the direct treatment component it has carried since 2019 moving to 97173, so work billed under one code will now need two. It also reported that Category III codes 0362T and 0373T, which covered the highest acuity ABA services, are deleted and replaced by the four harmful behavior codes. Acuity gives the effective date as January 1, 2027, says both the AMA and the Coalition state that date, and says summaries listing January 1, 2028 are incorrect.
What we have not verified
The Coalition page we read does not list the code numbers, the 97155 change or an effective date. The numbers and descriptions here come from Acuity News and should be checked against the Coalition's published tables, the AMA's code set and each payer's implementation notice before you change billing.
Why it matters to an operator
Analysis: Billing systems, payer contracts, authorization requests and supervision documentation all key off these codes. Payers decide when and how they accept new codes, so expect to hear from each payer separately. A buyer in diligence will ask whether a clinic is ready for the January 1, 2027 change and who verified its billing against it.
If your billing and payer contracts need to be ready for January 1, 2027, the payer and Medicaid advisory compares how you bill, staff and document against the rules and flags the gaps, alongside your counsel.
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This brief rests on the reporting linked above and is labeled accordingly. Dossiers on this site are read to primary sources. Education only; nothing here is legal advice.
ABAWiser provides research, analysis, and compliance advisory services. We are not a law firm, we do not provide legal advice, and no engagement creates an attorney client relationship. Dossiers track developments as they occur and may be incomplete or updated as a story evolves. Confirm any statutory or regulatory point against the primary source before acting on it.