Cardiology CPT Codes 2026: Billing Guide and Cheat Sheet

The Cardiology CPT Code System: Ranges, Components, and How Claims Split

Cardiology CPT codes fall primarily within the 92920-93799 range, maintained by the American Medical Association. These codes split into three billing components: the global service (one provider performs and interprets), the technical component (tracing or imaging only), and the professional component (interpretation and report only).

Not every cardiology code lives in that block. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) uses the 33510-33536 range. Evaluation and management visits use 99202-99215. Pacemaker and ICD implantation codes sit in the 33000 series. Working with cardiology CPT codes means knowing several CPT sections, not only the core cardiovascular range.

How Cardiology Claims Split Between Global, Technical, and Professional Services

The three-component split runs across most cardiology code families. The EKG codes show it best, and the same logic carries into echo, stress testing, and monitoring.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. The 93000 family illustrates the global, technical, and professional split.

Billing 93000 when your physician only read a hospital’s tracing is upcoding. Medicare auditors flag this pattern in high-volume cardiology reviews, and the recoupment lands months later.

Modifier 26 and TC errors on the professional and technical split drive more cardiology claim denials than almost any other coding decision. One O Seven’s cardiology RCM and modifier management team validates the component split before claims leave the queue, not after the ERA comes back.

The full code set spans several ranges. The table below maps each range to its procedure category, a quick orientation before the section-by-section detail.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Code ranges maintained by the American Medical Association.

Physician offices bill these codes on the CMS-1500. Hospital outpatient departments bill the technical component on the UB-04. The claim form, the fee schedule, and the payer rules all shift by setting, and private practice cardiology billing runs under different NCCI edit logic than hospital outpatient billing.

EKG and ECG CPT Codes: 93000, 93005, and 93010 Billing Decisions

EKG codes are the highest-volume cardiology CPT codes most practices submit. The family splits one service into three separately billable components. Code selection comes down to one question: which entity performed the tracing, and which entity signed the interpretation. Get it wrong and you either upcode 93000 for an interpretation alone or underbill 93010 on a complete study.

What Is the Difference Between CPT 93000 and CPT 93005?

The split between 93000, 93005, and 93010 answers one of the most common EKG billing questions a coordinator faces.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. 12-lead EKG component codes.

Scenario A: a cardiology office owns its EKG machine. The cardiologist performs the study and signs the interpretation, so the office bills 93000 as the global service. Scenario B: a patient presents to a hospital ED. The hospital acquires the tracing and bills 93005, then the on-call cardiologist reads it and bills 93010.

Billing 93000 and 93005 together on the same date for the same tracing creates a bundling problem. More precisely, this combination generates a CO-234 bundling denial because 93005 is a component of 93000, the same service billed twice.

The 93000 decision tree gets deep, with Medicare coverage rules, place-of-service logic, and modifier 76/77 for repeat tracings. For the full Medicare coverage rules, POS modifier logic, and denial-prevention workflow for routine ECG claims, see One O Seven’s 93000 EKG billing guide.

CPT 93017: Cardiovascular Stress Test Tracing

The cardiovascular stress test family splits the same way. Four codes exist: 93015 (global, covering supervision, tracing, and interpretation), 93016 (supervision only), 93017 (tracing only), and 93018 (interpretation only). One provider handling all three components bills 93015. When a hospital facility supplies the equipment and staff, that facility bills 93016 and 93017, and the physician bills 93018 alone.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Cardiovascular stress test component codes.

When the Rhythm ECG Codes Apply (93040-93042)

Rhythm ECG codes (93040-93042) follow the same three-way split but apply to limited-lead tracings, not the full 12-lead study. Use 93040 (global), 93041 (tracing only), or 93042 (interpretation only). CMS guidance treats a rhythm strip billed with a 12-lead EKG on the same date as bundled, unless modifier 59 establishes a distinct service.

EKG claims need a supporting ICD-10 code from the covered diagnosis list. Medicare doesn’t cover 93000 for routine screening without documented symptoms. Common supporting diagnoses include R00.0 (tachycardia), R07.9 (chest pain), I48.91 (atrial fibrillation), and I10 (hypertension). Submitting 93000 with Z00.00, a general adult medical exam, draws a CO-50 denial on most Medicare claims.

Echocardiogram CPT Codes: TTE, TEE, and Stress Echo

Echocardiography is where cardiology CPT codes get undercoded the most often. The codes split by three variables: transthoracic versus transesophageal, complete versus limited, and whether the physician provided continuous ECG monitoring during a stress study. Miss one variable and you either undercode a routine study or trip a Doppler add-on NCCI edit.

Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE) Code Selection: 93306, 93307, and 93308

The TTE hierarchy runs from a complete study with Doppler down to a limited follow-up look at a single finding.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Transthoracic echocardiography code family.

Codes 93320 (pulsed and continuous wave Doppler) and 93325 (color flow velocity mapping) are add-on codes. Bill them alongside 93307 or 93308, not 93306. CPT 93306 already includes spectral and color flow Doppler, so appending 93320 or 93325 to it trips a hard NCCI bundling edit.

Every 93306 report has to document 2D chamber measurements, valve morphology, wall motion, ejection fraction, and spectral Doppler velocities. A report listing only conclusions, with none of those measurements, survives neither a post-payment review nor an LCD audit for medical necessity.

Stress Echocardiography: 93350 vs 93351

CPT 93350 reports a stress echocardiogram when the supervising physician does not provide continuous ECG monitoring during the stress portion. CPT 93351 applies when the physician supervises the stress test and provides that continuous ECG monitoring. Most outpatient cardiology settings bill 93351 because the cardiologist supervises the full procedure. Billing 93350 when documentation supports 93351 leaves reimbursement on the table.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Stress echocardiography codes. A dobutamine stress echo uses the same 93350 or 93351 selection.

Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) Codes

TEE codes divide by clinical role. 93312 covers the complete study, including probe placement, image acquisition, and interpretation. 93313 covers probe placement only, and 93314 covers image acquisition and interpretation only. A cardiologist reading only a facility-performed TEE bills 93314 with modifier 26, not 93312. The global code bills for work the cardiologist never performed.

The 93306 documentation rules, ICD-10 pairings, and Medicare once-per-year coverage limit get full treatment in a dedicated guide. For the complete modifier rules, ICD-10 pairings, and Doppler documentation requirements for echocardiogram claims, see One O Seven’s 93306 echocardiogram billing guide.

Holter Monitor and Cardiac Event Monitor CPT Codes

Cardiac monitoring is a cluster of cardiology CPT codes that trips up billing teams on duration and frequency. Three families cover it: standard Holter monitoring up to 48 hours, long-term continuous monitoring from 48 hours to 15 days, and mobile cardiac telemetry up to 30 days. Each splits into recording, scanning, and interpretation components.

Standard Holter Monitor Codes: 93224-93227

Standard Holter monitoring covers continuous external recording up to 48 hours, billed as one unit of service. The four codes split that service into parts. Bill the global code when one entity handles everything, or the component codes when the recording facility and the interpreting physician are separate.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Holter monitoring (up to 48 hours, one unit of service). Append modifier 52 for under 12 hours of recording.

Extended External Cardiac Monitoring: 93241-93248

Long-term continuous monitoring beyond 48 hours uses a separate code set, 93241-93248, added in 2021 to replace the temporary Category III codes 0295T-0298T. These cover patch-style monitors that record continuously, and they split into two duration bands. They sit apart from the event and loop monitor codes (93268-93272), which remain active for intermittent, patient-triggered recording up to 30 days.

Source: AMA CPT 2026; CMS LCD A57476. Long-term continuous recording across two duration bands.

Select the code from the actual monitoring duration, not the planned duration. If a patient returns the device at day 5 of a planned 7-day study, the billing falls in the 48-hour-to-7-day band (93241-93244), not the 7-to-15-day band.

Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry (MCOT): 93228-93229

Mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry (MCOT) covers up to 30 days with real-time transmission and attended monitoring. Two codes apply. 93228 reports the physician review and interpretation, the professional component. 93229 reports the technical support: connection, monitoring-center surveillance, and daily data transmission. Each one bills once per 30-day monitoring course, not per day and not per transmission.

Remote and telemetry codes generate OA-18 duplicate denials when a billing team submits per transmission instead of per period. The code covers the whole monitoring course, not each data upload. Submitting 93229 for each transmission instead of once per monitoring course generates an OA-18 duplicate service denial that needs a corrected claim, not an appeal.

For a 48-hour Holter study where one entity handles every component, bill 93224. For a study that runs past 48 hours but ends before day 7, bill from the 93241-93244 band based on the actual duration at device return.

Cardiac Catheterization CPT Codes: Left, Right, and Combined

Cardiac catheterization has the most complex selection logic among cardiology CPT codes. Each base code stands for a specific combination of services: which chambers were accessed, whether coronary angiography was performed, and whether bypass graft imaging was included. The combination performed, not the order or the duration, sets the correct base code.

How to Select the Right Cardiac Catheterization Base Code

The table below maps all 11 base codes against the four questions that drive code selection. Read across each row to match the documented procedure to its code.

Source: AMA CPT 2026; CMS LCD A52850. Coronary angiography is included in the base catheterization code when performed in the same session. Do not bill a separate angiography code (93454) when coronary angiography is already bundled into the base code (93458-93461).

The most common cath billing error is submitting a separate coronary angiography code (93454) alongside a base code that already includes it (93458, 93459, 93460, or 93461). Submitting 93454 alongside 93458-93461 generates a CO-97 bundling denial, because 93454’s service is a component of the higher-level base codes.

One exception matters. When diagnostic angiography precedes a same-session PCI decision on the same vessel, payer-specific medical necessity criteria govern whether it bills separately. Verify each payer’s same-day cath policy before you submit, because the rules vary.

Coronary Physiologic Assessment Add-Ons: FFR and IVUS

Two add-on families extend a cath or PCI base code when physiologic assessment happens in the same session. 93571 reports fractional flow reserve (FFR) on the initial vessel, with 93572 for each additional vessel. 92978 reports intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) on the initial vessel, with 92979 for each additional vessel. None of these bill standalone.

Submitting 93571 or 92978 without a primary catheterization or PCI code generates a CO-4 denial for a missing primary code. These are companion codes. They ride alongside the base procedure, or they don’t get paid.

Medicare requires coronary artery-specific modifiers on PCI and catheterization claims to identify the treated vessel. Three apply: LD (left anterior descending), LC (left circumflex), and RC (right coronary). Missing these modifiers on applicable Medicare claims generates a CO-4 denial, and most commercial payers follow the same rule. Build them into your charge capture template, not your denial workflow.

Cath lab billing errors, from unbundled angiography codes to missing coronary artery modifiers, build up unnoticed until a MAC review surfaces them all at once. One O Seven’s cardiology billing and denial recovery team audits cath code submissions before they age in the AR queue.

Interventional Cardiology CPT Codes: PCI, Stenting, and Cardioversion

Interventional cardiology CPT codes cover the full range from balloon angioplasty through complex chronic total occlusion work. Each code stands for one intervention type on a single major coronary artery or its branches. When multiple vessels need treatment in the same session, the structure changed in a meaningful way effective January 1, 2026.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Code Hierarchy

PCI codes organize by intervention type, and the 2026 update reshaped the set. It deleted the add-on codes for additional branch vessels (92921, 92925, 92929, 92934, 92938, and 92944) and folded that work into the revised primary codes. The current single-vessel codes, each now reading branch(es) in its descriptor, are listed below.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Add-on codes 92921, 92925, 92929, 92934, 92938, and 92944 were deleted effective January 1, 2026. See Section 9 for the full deletion list. CABG itself uses the separate 33510-33536 surgical range.

The most common PCI error is billing 92920 (angioplasty only) and 92928 (stenting with angioplasty) for the same vessel in the same session. CPT 92928 includes balloon angioplasty when performed, so billing both for one vessel is unbundling and generates a CO-97 denial. Use 92928 when a stent went in. Use 92920 only when angioplasty happened without a stent.

Cardioversion CPT Codes: 92960 and 92961

Two cardioversion codes cover electrical conversion of an arrhythmia. The setting and the access route separate them.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. 92960 carries a 10-day global period.

That 10-day global period matters. Services billed during those 10 days without a modifier are denied as bundled into the cardioversion. Modifier 79 (unrelated procedure in the postoperative period) starts a new global period. Modifier 78 (return to the procedure room for a complication) does not. Pick the wrong one and the unrelated service gets bundled away.

When transesophageal echocardiography rules out atrial thrombus right before cardioversion, two codes apply: 92960 for the cardioversion and 93312 for the complete TEE. These are distinct procedures and bill together. The TEE is not a component of 92960, and no modifier is needed when both are performed and documented separately.

Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac Stress Testing CPT Codes

Nuclear cardiology CPT codes cover two imaging modalities: SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography). Code selection turns on the modality and on whether the study captures a single acquisition (rest or stress alone) or multiple acquisitions (rest and stress). Most commercial payers require prior authorization before a nuclear cardiac study, so verify it first.

Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (SPECT): 78451-78454

SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging is the nuclear cardiology study practices bill most often. The four codes organize by imaging plane (SPECT or planar) and by the number of acquisitions. Most cardiac stress studies use 78452 because the protocol captures both a rest and a stress acquisition.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Myocardial perfusion imaging codes.

Billing 78451 when the documentation shows both rest and stress images undercodes the service and leaves revenue uncollected. Match the code to the acquisitions the report describes.

Cardiac PET Codes: 78431-78434

Cardiac PET requires the most specific code selection in nuclear cardiology. The codes track the number of studies and whether pharmacologic stress was part of the session.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Cardiac PET perfusion codes.

78434 reports absolute myocardial blood flow quantification as an add-on. It needs one of 78431-78433 as the parent code and can’t bill standalone.

Cardiac Rehabilitation CPT Codes: 93797 and 93798

Cardiac rehabilitation codes cover physician-supervised outpatient sessions after a qualifying event: an MI, CABG, stable angina, heart valve repair, PTCA, or a heart transplant. Two codes split on whether continuous ECG monitoring is part of the session.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Cardiac rehabilitation, billed per session.

Medicare covers 36 standard sessions and up to 72 with physician documentation of medical necessity. Each session needs its own documentation: the date, the duration, and the clinical status. A billing team that submits cardiac rehab claims in a batch, without per-session notes, draws a CO-50 denial for the whole batch.

Missing per-session documentation, or billing outside the covered diagnosis list, fires a CO-50 medical necessity denial that no coding correction alone will fix.

Device Implantation and Remote Monitoring CPT Codes

Device codes are the cardiology CPT codes with the longest tail, covering the full lifecycle of an implantable cardiac device: new implant, generator replacement, lead work, in-person evaluation, and remote monitoring. Implantation codes sit outside the 92920-93799 range, in the 33000-series surgical codes. The monitoring and evaluation codes (93279-93298) live in the main cardiovascular range.

Pacemaker Implantation Codes

Pacemaker implantation codes select on the number of chambers carrying leads. Every one of them carries a 90-day global period, so post-implant care folds into the implant payment unless a modifier breaks it out.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. Pacemaker implantation, 90-day global period.

Code 33274 covers transcatheter implantation of a self-contained leadless pacemaker. Its descriptor saw refinements in 2026 to sharpen the interrogation, reprogramming, and follow-up distinctions. Section 9 covers the 2026 update detail.

ICD Implantation Codes

ICD implantation codes organize by the number of leads and by whether the system is transvenous or subcutaneous.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. ICD implantation and generator codes, 90-day global period.

During the 90-day global period, any service tied to the implant is denied as bundled unless a modifier marks it unrelated (modifier 79) or staged (modifier 58). Document the reason when a post-implant visit handles a condition that has nothing to do with the device, because the modifier has to match the note.

In-Person Device Evaluation and Remote Monitoring

Evaluation codes split between in-person programming checks and remote monitoring. The split drives billing frequency, and that frequency is where OA-18 denials start.

Source: AMA CPT 2026. In-person and remote device evaluation codes.

Remote monitoring codes report once per monitoring period, no matter how many transmissions land inside that window. Billing per transmission generates an OA-18 duplicate denial. In-person interrogation and remote monitoring of the same device also can’t overlap in the same billing period, so a clinic that runs both has to pick one for that window.

Submitting 93296 per transmission while the monitoring period is still open generates an OA-18 duplicate service denial that needs a corrected claim, not a payer appeal.

A cardiac MRI study falls outside this range, in the 75557-75565 series. Keep it off the device-monitoring worksheet.

2026 Cardiology CPT Code Changes: Deleted Codes and New Additions

The 2026 CPT set reshaped a long list of cardiology CPT codes: 418 total changes, including 288 new codes, 46 revised descriptors, and 84 deletions. The changes that move the needle for billing teams sit in interventional cardiology. Six PCI add-on codes were deleted, two new complex PCI codes arrived, and the entire lower extremity revascularization family was replaced.

The American College of Cardiology published the full change list in December 2025. The ACC 2026 cardiology CPT code updates Coding Corner article walks through every deletion, revision, and new code effective January 2026.

Deleted Codes: PCI Add-On Codes Removed January 1, 2026

Six PCI add-on codes left the book on January 1, 2026: 92921 (additional branch, angioplasty), 92925 (additional branch, atherectomy), 92929 (additional branch, stent), 92934 (additional branch, atherectomy and stent), 92938 (additional bypass graft), and 92944 (additional CTO vessel).

Source: AMA CPT 2026; ACC Coding Corner (December 2025). All six add-on codes are deleted for 2026.

The primary PCI codes (92920, 92928, 92933, 92937, 92941, and 92943) were revised to fold typical additional-branch work into the single-vessel descriptor. A practice that bills any of the six deleted codes on a 2026 claim draws a CO-4 denial for an invalid or deleted code. Charge masters and superbills that nobody updated are the source of most of these.

New PCI Codes: Complex Coronary Stenting and Chronic Total Occlusion

Two new Category I codes arrived for 2026 to capture complex coronary work the single-vessel codes didn’t describe. The first covers complex intracoronary stenting beyond what 92928 handles, such as multiple lesions or bifurcation stenting. The second covers percutaneous revascularization of a chronic total occlusion using combined antegrade and retrograde approaches.

Confirm the final code numbers in the AMA CPT 2026 codebook before you bill these. The numbers were still in placeholder form at the ACC Coding Corner publication date, so your charge master needs the released values, not the drafts.

New AI Diagnostic Codes for Coronary Imaging

New Category III codes capture AI-assisted cardiac diagnostics for 2026. 0992T reports AI analysis of perivascular fat on coronary CT without a concurrent CT scan, including the physician interpretation. 0993T reports the same analysis with a concurrent cardiac CT. 0962T reports algorithmic analysis of acoustic and ECG recordings for cardiac dysfunction, such as reduced ejection fraction, murmurs, or AFib.

AI coronary plaque analysis took the opposite path. It graduated from temporary Category III status to a permanent Category I code, 75577, for quantifying coronary atherosclerotic plaque from a coronary CT angiography. A practice still billing the old T-codes for that service is leaving covered revenue unbilled.

The Category III codes differ. Most commercial payers haven’t priced them, so claims for 0992T, 0993T, and 0962T often come back as not payable under the managed-care contract. Where a payer does cover them, prior authorization often applies. A claim that hits a non-covered contract term draws a CO-256 managed-care coverage denial that no coding change fixes.

Lower Extremity Revascularization: Complete Code Overhaul

The entire previous family for peripheral endovascular leg revascularization (37220-37235) was deleted for 2026 and replaced by a new expanded range (37254-37299), 46 codes in all. The new set defines procedures by vessel, territory, and technique. A practice billing peripheral vascular work has to replace every 37220-37235 code in its charge master.

Confirming that every deleted code is gone from your charge master, superbill, and EHR charge-capture template is step one. Confirming that the replacement codes map to your documented procedures is step two. One O Seven’s cardiology billing audit catches both in the first review, before the denials stack up.

Cardiology Billing Modifiers, Denial Codes, ICD-10 Pairings, and 2026 Medicare Rates

This closing reference pulls the operational pieces into one place: the modifiers, the denial codes, the ICD-10 pairings, and the 2026 Medicare rates. Cardiology billing guidelines run through every table here, so keep it next to your charge sheet.

Cardiology Modifiers Quick Reference

These are the modifiers a cardiology coder reaches for the most.

Source: AMA CPT 2026; CMS modifier guidance.

Modifier 25 appends to the E/M code (99213-99215), not to the cardiology procedure code. Appending modifier 25 to 93000 instead of 99213 generates a CO-4 denial because the modifier sits on the wrong code. That single misplacement is one of the most common avoidable denials in cardiology.

Cardiology CARC Denial Code Table

Source: X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Code list; CMS NCCI 2026 Policy Manual; Noridian JE Part B guidance.

Check which NCCI edit pairs apply before you decide whether a modifier override holds up. The CMS NCCI bundling edit reference publishes quarterly updates effective January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, so a pairing that cleared last quarter can change.

For the full CO-11 resolution workflow, including the LCD lookup steps and how to read the paired RARC, see One O Seven’s CO-11 diagnosis-procedure mismatch guide.

Top ICD-10 Codes Paired With Cardiology CPT Codes

ICD-10 codes must match the documented diagnosis. The payer’s LCD coverage list, not the ICD-10 code alone, settles whether a pairing meets medical necessity. Verify each payer’s covered indication list before submission.

2026 Medicare Rates for Common Cardiology CPT Codes

These are 2026 national-average Medicare rates for common cardiology codes, non-facility setting, built on the $33.40 non-QPM conversion factor. Treat them as planning figures, not contract rates.

Approximate 2026 national-average rates, non-facility. Rates vary by locality and setting; facility rates run lower because the facility absorbs practice-expense overhead.

The 2026 Medicare non-QPM conversion factor of $33.40 is confirmed in the CMS CY 2026 PFS Final Rule, published October 31, 2025. That factor sets the baseline every rate above is built from.

For locality-specific rates in your service area, run the codes through the CMS Physician Fee Schedule lookup tool. Rates in high-cost metropolitan areas often run 20% to 40% above the national average.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cardiology CPT Codes

What Is the Difference Between CPT 93000 and 93005?

Among cardiology CPT codes, 93000 covers the complete EKG service when one provider performs the tracing and signs the interpretation. 93005 covers the tracing only, used when the practice runs the EKG but a separate physician interprets it. That interpreting physician bills 93010 for the professional component.

Can You Bill 99214 With 93000?

Yes, when a significant, separately identifiable E/M service happens the same date. Modifier 25 appends to the E/M code (99214 or whichever level fits), not to 93000. The note must address a clinical problem distinct from the EKG work. For MDM documentation and modifier 25 rules, see One O Seven’s 99204 E/M billing guide.

What Cardiology CPT Codes Changed in 2026?

The biggest 2026 changes to cardiology CPT codes: deletion of six PCI add-on codes (92921, 92925, 92929, 92934, 92938, and 92944), replacement of the lower extremity revascularization family (37220-37235 replaced by 37254-37299), and new AI diagnostic codes for coronary imaging (0992T, 0993T, and 0962T).

Is CPT 93306 Covered by Medicare?

Yes, Medicare Part B covers 93306 when the echocardiogram is medically necessary and the report documents 2D, M-mode, spectral Doppler, and color flow Doppler. Medicare covers one complete echocardiogram per year without extra documentation. Modifier 76 or 77 applies when a second study is medically necessary inside the same year.

What Is the CPT Code for a Stress Test?

CPT 93015 covers the complete cardiovascular stress test when one provider supervises the study, records the tracing, and provides the interpretation. When different entities handle each component, bill 93016 for supervision, 93017 for the tracing, or 93018 for the interpretation and report.

What CPT Code Is Used for Cardiac Catheterization?

The right cardiac catheterization code depends on which chambers were accessed and whether coronary angiography was included. Left heart catheterization with coronary angiography bills as 93458. Combined right and left heart catheterization with coronary angiography bills as 93460.