Cardiac · CPT 93005

What is CPT code 93005?

EKG tracing only, no interpretation (the technical part).

By Justin Feldstein · Reviewed 2026-06-15

What it covers

This is the recording half of an EKG, the part where the machine captures your heart's electrical activity through chest and limb stickers, without the doctor's separate reading attached. It's the 'technical component': a clinic or facility that runs the EKG machine bills 93005 when a different provider will do the interpretation. The companion code for that reading is 93010.

When you'd see it

You'll typically see 93005 when the place that took your EKG and the doctor who interpreted it are billing separately, often in a hospital or facility setting rather than a single doctor's office.

Roughly what it costs

$15–$100 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

93005 is the technical (tracing) piece, normally paired with 93010 for the physician's interpretation; together those two should add up to roughly what the all-in-one 93000 code would have been.

93005 vs 93010

93005 is the tracing only; 93010 is the doctor's reading and report only; 93000 is both combined, so you should see either 93000 alone OR 93005 and 93010 as a pair, never the complete code plus its parts. See 93010 (EKG interpretation only).

What to watch for

93005 is only the tracing, so on its own it should cost less than a full 93000. The thing to watch is the complete code (93000) and its tracing-only piece (93005) both appearing for the same EKG, which is double-counting.

Specific things to question

• 93005 billed alongside 93000 for the same EKG (the tracing charged on top of the complete code).
• 93005 billed more than once for a single EKG.
• Both 93005 and 93010 charged, plus a separate 93000, for one test.

How to check this charge on your own bill

Find 93005 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.