Cardiac · CPT 93000

What is CPT code 93000?

EKG with interpretation (the complete test).

By Justin Feldstein · Reviewed 2026-06-15

What it covers

A quick, painless test that records your heart's electrical activity through stickers placed on your chest, arms, and legs, plus a doctor reading the result and writing a report. The 93000 code is the 'global' version, meaning it bundles both the recording (the tracing) and the professional interpretation into one charge.

When you'd see it

Common during a physical, in the ER for chest pain or palpitations, before a procedure as a clearance step, or any time there's a question about your heart rhythm.

Roughly what it costs

$30–$175 commonly billed

A ballpark on the billed amount. After insurance or a negotiated rate, what you owe is often far lower. Always compare against your Explanation of Benefits (EOB).

What's usually billed with it

Because 93000 already includes both the tracing and the reading, it normally stands alone for the EKG itself; the tracing-only (93005) and interpretation-only (93010) codes are the unbundled pieces of this same test.

93000 vs 93005

93000 is the full test (tracing plus a doctor's interpretation); 93005 is the tracing only and 93010 is the interpretation only, so all three on one EKG would be double-counting. See 93005 (EKG tracing only).

What to watch for

If you see 93005 (tracing) or 93010 (reading) charged on top of a 93000, that's a duplicate, because 93000 already includes both. One 93000 per EKG is what you'd expect.

Specific things to question

• 93000 billed together with 93005 and/or 93010 for the same EKG (the components billed on top of the complete code).
• More than one 93000 for a single EKG taken on one date.
• An EKG charge appearing when no heart tracing was actually done at the visit.

How to check this charge on your own bill

Find 93000 on your itemized bill and match it against your EOB. Confirm it appears only once, that any bundled services aren't also billed separately, and that the amount matches what your insurer says it allowed. If something doesn't line up, that's a fair question for the billing office.