Evidence-Based. Clearly Delivered.
Evidence-Based. Clearly Delivered.
In a federal court in Illinois, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) recently filed a lawsuit against the American Medical Association (AMA) regarding the current procedural terminology (CPT) system that all providers use to code and get paid. It argued that the AMA has no right to copyright the CPT. Instead of patients and providers paying the AMA for access, the PRA wants the CPT codebook online for free.
The PRA alleges that CPT codes are so deeply ingrained into federal and state law that they no longer qualify for copyright protection. Federal regulations and at least 15 state laws incorporate CPT by reference, thus making the code set part of binding regulations. Allegedly, the AMA reported $296.4 million in revenue from “books and digital content” in 2025, although how much is from CPT products alone cannot be ascertained.
In addition to the advocacy group, a US senator recently sent a sent a public letter to the AMA pointing out that the AMA was “abus[ing] [its] government-backed monopoly by charging exorbitant fees to anyone using the CPT code set.” The public will be able to comment on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed 2027 physician payment rule on potential alternatives to CPT.
In response, the AMA stated “CPT serves as the uniform language of medicine, updated continuously through an open, transparent process that reflects evolving clinical care. The AMA brings expertise and scale to this work, convening collaboration across medicine, government and industry. We will vigorously defend the AMA’s intellectual property rights to ensure the continued access physicians and patients rely on.”
Patient Group Sues AMA, Says the Org Shouldn’t Be Charging for CPT Codes
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