STAT+: A new attack on AMA’s billing codes
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has accused the American Medical Association of enabling fraud, waste, and abuse through its control of CPT billing codes. The criticism marks a new front in the debate over health care costs and the influence of medical lobbying groups. Lawmakers and watchdogs are increasingly scrutinizing how standardized billing practices affect federal health spending.
- ▪House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is targeting the American Medical Association over its management of CPT codes.
- ▪Comer alleges that the AMA's control of billing codes contributes to fraud, waste, and abuse in health care.
- ▪CPT codes are a standardized system used to report medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures and services.
- ▪The AMA has long maintained authority over CPT codes, which are used across the U.S. health care system.
- ▪Criticism of the AMA's role in billing comes amid broader concerns about transparency and cost in health care.
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STAT PlusNewsletterD.C. Diagnosis A new attack on AMA’s billing codes You’re reading STAT’s D.C. Diagnosis newsletter Manage alerts for this article Email this article Share this article Adobe By John WilkersonMay 5, 2026 Washington Correspondent John Wilkerson[email protected]John Wilkerson is a Washington correspondent for STAT who writes about the politics of health care. He is also the author of the twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis newsletter. You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Brain Reid, who writes a newsletter on drug pricing policies, wrote “health care [sic]” in his Friday edition.
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