2025 CPT code 93018
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Cardiology - Cardiography Procedures Cardiovascular Procedures Feed
Interpretation and report of a cardiovascular stress test using maximal or submaximal treadmill or bicycle exercise, continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, and/or pharmacological stress.
Modifiers may be applicable in specific circumstances.Consult the CPT manual for guidance on appropriate modifier use.
Medical necessity for a cardiovascular stress test is typically established based on the patient's symptoms (e.g., chest pain, shortness of breath), risk factors for coronary artery disease, need for pre-operative evaluation, or monitoring of existing cardiac conditions.Appropriate documentation supporting the medical necessity should be included in the patient record.
The physician's responsibility includes interpreting the electrocardiographic data, blood pressure readings, and any other relevant data collected during the cardiovascular stress test, and generating a comprehensive written report summarizing the findings and their clinical significance.
In simple words: The doctor reviews the results of a heart stress test (done on a treadmill, bike, or with medication). They analyze the heart's activity during the test and write a report explaining the findings.
This CPT code encompasses the interpretation and reporting of findings from a cardiovascular stress test.The test may involve maximal or submaximal treadmill or bicycle exercise, continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, and/or pharmacological stress.The code specifically covers the analysis and interpretation of the collected data, culminating in a written report detailing the results.Supervision of the test itself is not included in this code.
Example 1: A 65-year-old male patient presents with intermittent chest pain.A cardiovascular stress test is performed using a treadmill, and code 93018 is used to bill for the interpretation and report of the resulting ECG and blood pressure data., A 48-year-old female patient with a history of hypertension undergoes a pharmacological stress test due to an inability to exercise. Code 93018 is used for the interpretation and report of the test data., A 72-year-old patient is scheduled for cardiac surgery and requires a preoperative cardiovascular stress test.The interpretation and report are billed using code 93018.
* Patient demographics and medical history.* Indication for the stress test.* Type of stress test performed (treadmill, bicycle, pharmacological).* Detailed ECG tracings.* Blood pressure readings throughout the test.* Physician's interpretation and report summarizing the findings and their clinical significance.
** Code 93018 should only be reported when the physician provides the interpretation and report; the supervision of the test is separately reported using other codes (e.g., 93015, 93016, 93017).
- Revenue Code: T2B (OTHER TESTS - CARDIOVASCULAR STRESS TESTS)
- RVU: The RVUs for this code vary based on geographic location and other factors.Consult the appropriate fee schedule for specific values.
- Global Days: This code is a component code and is not part of a global package.Therefore, no global days apply.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Modifier TC (Technical Component) is not applicable to this code, as it only represents the interpretation and report.
- Fee Schedule: Historical fee schedule data is not included here.Consult the appropriate fee schedules for specific historical data.
- Specialties:Cardiology, Internal Medicine
- Place of Service:Office, Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center