The AMA is making its biggest update to maternity care billing codes in decades. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, new CPT codes will separately track four phases of pregnancy care — antepartum, labor management, delivery, and postpartum — giving providers, researchers, and policymakers better data to improve maternal health outcomes. No changes to patient cost-sharing are expected.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced its most significant overhaul of maternity care billing codes in decades. Effective Jan. 1, 2027, updated Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes will better reflect modern obstetric care, enabling more accurate and transparent reporting across the full pregnancy journey — from antepartum through postpartum care.
The changes, developed over nearly two years in collaboration with leading medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Family Physicians, aim to build a stronger data foundation for improving maternal health outcomes. Importantly, an AMA analysis found no expected impact on health plan benefits or patient cost-sharing.
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Why it matters: Better data is a critical first step toward improving maternal health outcomes. As AMA President Willie Underwood III put it, "Physicians cannot improve what they cannot measure." These coding updates give clinicians and policymakers the tools to identify gaps in care, strengthen accountability, and ultimately improve outcomes for mothers and babies.
