AMA Published CPT Code for Caristo's Coronary Inflammation Detection Technology

Partner News | Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

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Caristo Diagnostics, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered heart disease detection, announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) has formally assigned Category III CPT codes 0992T and 0993T for AI-powered analysis of perivascular fat and cardiovascular risk, the foundational capability behind Caristo's flagship CaRi-Heart technology.  

CPT codes are standardized numeric codes used in medical billing and coding to identify and describe medical services and procedures.  

The official code descriptions for the CaRi-Heart technology were published on the AMA CPT website on July 1, 2025, and the codes are now included in the 2026 CPT Codebook: 

• 0992T: Noninvasive assessment of cardiac risk derived from augmentative software analysis of perivascular fat without concurrent computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart, including patient-specific clinical factors, with interpretation and report by a physician or other qualified health care professional. 

• 0993T: Noninvasive assessment of cardiac risk derived from augmentative software analysis of perivascular fat with concurrent computed tomography scan of the heart, including patient-specific clinical factors, with interpretation and report by a physician or other qualified health care professional.  

These latest updates build on the AMA CPT Editorial Panel's February 2025 decision to approve new Category III CPT codes for CaRi-Heart technology. With code assignment and publication now complete, Caristo has achieved a critical milestone in the path to U.S. clinical adoption, reimbursement and payer engagement. This brings the technology another step closer to enabling cardiologists to integrate AI-powered coronary inflammation analysis into routine practice, accelerating its journey from research to real-world impact. 

A 2024 landmark Lancet publication found Caristo's technology can reveal hidden, high-risk markers of coronary artery disease progression — predicting heart attacks up to a decade before they strike. CaRi-Heart uses advanced AI to analyze perivascular fat captured in standard coronary CT angiography scans. The technology reveals hidden coronary inflammation—a powerful but previously invisible predictor of heart attacks. Its proprietary FAI-Score™ and CaRi-Heart Risk score give clinicians and patients a personalized assessment of cardiac mortality risk, informing earlier and more targeted treatment decisions even when patients receive "normal" results from tests such as calcium score, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and quantitative plaque analysis. 

"This is a huge leap forward in the fight against heart disease, and a major validation that AI-powered coronary inflammation analysis belongs in routine care," said Frank Cheng, CEO of Caristo Diagnostics. "With CPT approval, assignment and publication, we are laying the foundation for a future where every at-risk American has access to precision risk assessment, moving heart care from late-stage intervention to truly preventive medicine." 

The CaRi-Heart technology is currently limited to research use in the U.S., and its newly approved CPT codes will become effective on Jan. 1, 2026. 

In addition to Cari-Heart technology, Caristo also offers CaRi-PlaqueTM analysis for plaque and stenosis quantification. The CaRi-Plaque technology was granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance and is supported by a Category I CPT code which will become effective on Jan. 1, 2026.  

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