CPT code 93000

What does CPT code 93000 mean on a medical bill?

This is the all-in-one charge for an EKG: the heart tracing itself plus a doctor reading it and writing up what it showed. Because it already covers both halves, you should not also see a separate line for the tracing or for the reading of that same EKG. Emergency rooms usually split the two halves instead, with the hospital billing for running the tracing and a cardiology or emergency group billing for the reading.

What does CPT code 93000 usually cost?

One line here is supposed to stand for both halves of the test, so a second EKG charge from anyone else for the same tracing is worth questioning. Whether the reading doctor is in your network can differ from whether the hospital is.

What should I watch out for with CPT code 93000?

• This all-in-one code billed by the hospital while a physician group also bills for reading the same tracing
• More EKG lines than tracings in your record — repeat EKGs are common, but each should have a result
• An EKG billed on a visit where the record shows only a heart monitor, which is a different service