Significant changes are coming to maternity care coding in 2027, and healthcare organizations should begin preparing now.

Effective January 1, 2027, the American Medical Association (AMA) is restructuring how maternity care services are reported under CPT®. The new approach moves away from the traditional global maternity package and toward more detailed reporting of the individual services provided throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

For healthcare organizations, this change will have implications beyond coding. Provider documentation, EHR workflows, charge capture, billing processes, payer contracts, and reimbursement strategies may all be affected.

Why Is Maternity Care Coding Changing?

Historically, maternity services have largely been reported through a global package that combines antepartum care, delivery, and postpartum services into a single code. While this approach simplified billing, it does not always reflect how maternity care is delivered today.

Patients increasingly receive care from multiple providers and across multiple settings throughout pregnancy. Obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, hospitalists, advanced practice providers, certified nurse midwives, hospitals, and other care teams may all play a role in a patient’s care.

The revised CPT structure is designed to better capture the services performed by each provider and provide greater visibility into the care delivered throughout the maternity journey.

What Changes in 2027?

Beginning January 1, maternity care services will be reported with greater specificity across four primary phases of care:

Antepartum Care

Services provided during pregnancy—including routine prenatal visits, monitoring, counseling, and management of maternal conditions—will be reported independently.

Labor Management

The new structure recognizes the work involved in managing labor, including situations in which the provider managing labor does not ultimately perform the delivery.

Delivery Services

Delivery services will continue to be reported but will sit within the broader framework of separately reportable maternity care components.

Postpartum Care

Postpartum management will have greater visibility, allowing organizations to more clearly capture ongoing maternal care following delivery.

What Does This Mean for Healthcare Organizations?

The move toward more detailed reporting creates opportunities for improved accuracy and transparency, but it also introduces operational considerations.

Healthcare organizations should evaluate how the changes may affect:

  • Provider documentation: Providers will need to understand what documentation is required to appropriately capture the services they perform.
  • EHR and charge capture: Templates, workflows, and charge capture systems may require updates to accommodate the revised coding structure.
  • Coding and billing: Coding and revenue cycle teams will need training on the distinctions among antepartum care, labor management, delivery, and postpartum services.
  • Payer contracts and reimbursement: Organizations should review payer contracts and reimbursement methodologies as payers determine how they will implement the new CPT structure.

Preparing Now for January 2027

Although the changes do not take effect until January 1, 2027, waiting until year-end to prepare could create unnecessary operational and reimbursement challenges.

Healthcare organizations should begin assessing their current maternity care workflows now. A readiness review should include provider education, documentation practices, coding and billing processes, EHR configuration, charge capture, and payer contracts.

The goal is not simply to implement new codes. It is to ensure the organization can accurately document, capture, bill, and receive appropriate reimbursement for the maternity services its providers deliver.

How Dean Dorton Can Help

The 2027 CPT maternity care changes will require coordination across clinical, operational, revenue cycle, and financial teams. Dean Dorton can help healthcare organizations evaluate the potential impact of the new structure, identify areas that may require changes, and develop a practical readiness plan ahead of implementation.

Preparing early can help reduce disruption, strengthen revenue cycle processes, and position your organization for a smoother transition on January 1, 2027.