CDT 2019 Coding Companion Help Guide for the Dental Team PDF download

The CDT Code was first published in 1969 as the “Uniform Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature” in the Journal of the American Dental Association. It originally consisted of numbers and a brief name, or nomenclature. Since 1990, the CDT Code has been published in the American Dental Association’s dental reference manual titled Current Dental Terminology (CDT). The CDT Code version published in CDT-1 (1990) was marked by the addition of descriptors (a written narrative that provides further definition and the intended use of a dental procedure code) for most of the procedure codes. The American Dental Association is the copyright owner and publisher of the CDT Code. New versions are published every year and become effective January 1st. Federal regulations and legislation arising from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) require all payers to accept HIPAA standard electronic dental claim. One data element on the electronic dental claim is the dental procedure code, which must be from the CDT Code – specifically the version that is in effect on the date of service.