2025 CPT code 93017
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Deletion Date: N/A Cardiovascular Procedures - Cardiovascular Stress Tests Cardiology Feed
Cardiovascular stress test; tracing only, without interpretation and report.
Modifiers may apply depending on the specific circumstances of the service.Consult the CPT manual and payer guidelines for appropriate modifier usage.
Medical necessity for a stress test is determined by the patient's clinical presentation and the physician's judgment.Conditions such as chest pain, known or suspected coronary artery disease, and evaluation of cardiac function following myocardial infarction may warrant a stress test.
The clinical responsibility for this code lies with the technician or other qualified healthcare professional performing the ECG tracing during the stress test.The physician's role is separate and involves the interpretation of the results.
In simple words: This code covers the recording of the heart's electrical activity during a stress test (exercise or medication-induced).It does not include the doctor's interpretation of the results.
This CPT code, 93017, represents the technical component of a cardiovascular stress test using maximal or submaximal treadmill or bicycle exercise, continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, and/or pharmacological stress.It includes the recording of the electrocardiogram tracing during the test but excludes physician supervision, interpretation, and the generation of a report. This code is for use by non-physician professionals only.The physician's services are reported separately using CPT code 93016 (supervision only) or 93018 (interpretation and report only). For comprehensive reporting including both technical and professional components, use CPT code 93015.
Example 1: A patient undergoes a treadmill stress test. A technician monitors the ECG tracing continuously throughout the test. Code 93017 is used to bill for the technical component of this test. The interpreting physician bills separately using code 93018., A patient has a pharmacological stress test using dobutamine. A cardiac technician monitors the ECG and blood pressure.Code 93017 is billed for the ECG tracing, while the cardiologist bills separately for the interpretation of the results., A patient undergoes bicycle stress testing, and a technician monitors ECG and blood pressure.The cardiologist does not review the ECG; only the technician is involved. Code 93017 is reported for the recording of the ECG.
* Physician order specifying the type of stress test (treadmill, bicycle, pharmacological).* Documentation of the patient's exercise tolerance or medication used during the test.* ECG tracing.* Note that no separate report is generated for code 93017.
** This code is specifically for the technical component of the stress test and should not be used if the physician provides interpretation and report.Always check payer-specific guidelines before billing.
- Revenue Code: T2B (OTHER TESTS - CARDIOVASCULAR STRESS TESTS)
- RVU: Refer to CMS Relative Value File for current RVU values.RVUs vary based on geographic location and other factors.
- Global Days: Not applicable. This code represents only the technical component of a stress test, not the overall global period.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Modifier TC (Technical Component) is not appropriate with 93017 as it is only the technical component.The professional component would require a separate code.
- Fee Schedule: Fee schedules are not included in this response. Refer to publicly available resources and payer fee schedules for historical data.
- Specialties:Cardiology
- Place of Service:Office, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center