Which of the following is NOT a purpose of CPT codes?

CPT codes serve several crucial purposes within the healthcare system, primarily focused on facilitating communication about medical services, procedures, and diagnoses among healthcare providers, payers, and patients.

Billing is a fundamental purpose of CPT codes, as these codes are used to itemize services provided during patient care, allowing healthcare providers to obtain reimbursement from insurance companies. Research purposes also align with the use of CPT codes, as they help in the analysis of healthcare trends, outcomes, and the effectiveness of various treatments over time.

Insurance verification is another important use of CPT codes, as they help insurance companies in determining preauthorization for services and processing claims, ensuring that the services rendered are covered under a patient's insurance plan.

However, while clinical trials are essential in medical research, they are not a direct purpose of CPT codes. Clinical trials often involve unique sets of coding and documentation outside of standard procedural codes, as they usually focus on experimental treatments or interventions that may not have established CPT codes. Therefore, the correct answer indicates that while CPT codes are widely utilized for billing, research, and insurance verification, they do not specifically serve the purpose of tracking or validating clinical trials.