CPT code 93016: Stress test supervision, supervision without tracing or interpretation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Report supervision of an exercise or pharmacologic cardiovascular stress test when the supervising practitioner does not bill the complete stress test service.
Medicare pays $21.35–$24.68 for 93016 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 93016 covers
This service covers a practitioner's supervision during a cardiovascular stress test, not production of the tracing or interpretation of the results. The patient may exercise on a treadmill or stationary bicycle or receive a pharmacologic stress agent such as regadenoson or dobutamine. ECG is monitored continuously while heart rate, blood pressure, symptoms, and responses that might require stopping the test are assessed. A physician or other qualified health care professional typically supervises the test in a cardiology office, hospital outpatient stress lab, or nuclear cardiology suite.
Report 93016 for the supervision portion when the complete stress test service is not reported by one provider. Code 93017 covers the technical tracing, and 93018 covers interpretation and report; report each portion only when furnished by the billing entity. If one provider furnishes all portions, report 93015 instead of the separate codes. CMS identifies 93016 as professional-only, so modifier 26 is not appended; the technical portion has a separate code. Documentation should identify the supervisor, stress protocol or agent, monitoring, patient response, and reason the test ended.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 93016 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 payment localities
$21.35 to $24.68
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $21.40 | $21.40 |
| Chico, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| El Centro, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Fresno, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Hanford, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $22.24 | $22.24 |
| Madera, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Marin County, CA | $24.25 | $24.25 |
| Merced, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Modesto, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Napa, CA | $23.28 | $23.28 |
| Oxnard, CA | $22.03 | $22.03 |
| Redding, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Rest of California | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Riverside, CA | $21.47 | $21.47 |
| Sacramento, CA | $22.01 | $22.01 |
| Salinas, CA | $21.91 | $21.91 |
| San Benito County, CA | $24.68 | $24.68 |
| San Diego, CA | $22.11 | $22.11 |
| San Francisco, CA | $24.24 | $24.24 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $21.59 | $21.59 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $24.63 | $24.63 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $22.08 | $22.08 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $21.91 | $21.91 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $22.29 | $22.29 |
| Stockton, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Vallejo, CA | $23.26 | $23.26 |
| Visalia, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
| Yuba City, CA | $21.35 | $21.35 |
How the 93016 rate is calculated
Each of 93016’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 93016
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.44
0.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.17
0.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.6200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$20.71
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 93016
The CMS indicators that decide how 93016 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 93016
Stress test supervision, supervision without tracing or interpretation
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 2 | Professional component only. |
93016 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 93018Stress test interpretationInterpretation and report only
- 93018 covers interpretation of the stress test and a report; 93016 covers supervision during the test. A practitioner who performs both portions may report both.
- 93015Cardiac stress testGlobal: supervision, tracing, interpretation
- 93015 covers the complete stress test service furnished by one provider. Do not report it with 93016, 93017, or 93018 for the same test.
- 93017Stress testTracing only
- 93017 covers the technical tracing portion, including equipment and staff resources; 93016 covers practitioner supervision.
- 93351Stress echocardiogramECG monitoring included
- 93351 includes stress echocardiography and stress ECG supervision, so 93016 is not separately reported with it. With 93350, separately furnished stress ECG supervision may be reported.
93016 billing questions
When should 93016 be reported instead of 93015?
Report 93016 when billing the supervision portion separately. Use 93015 when one provider furnishes the complete stress test service, including supervision, tracing, interpretation, and report.
Does 93016 need modifier 26?
No. CMS identifies 93016 as professional-only; 93017 separately describes the technical tracing portion.
Can one physician bill 93016 and a different physician bill 93018?
Yes. The practitioner who supervises may report 93016, while a different practitioner who interprets the stress test and prepares the report may report 93018.
Is 93016 reported with a nuclear myocardial perfusion study?
It may be reported with SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging, such as 78452, when cardiovascular stress test supervision is furnished separately. Report the other stress test portions according to who furnishes them.
Can 93016 be billed with a stress echocardiogram?
Do not separately report 93016 with 93351, which includes stress ECG supervision. When stress echocardiography is reported with 93350, the separately furnished stress ECG supervision may be reported with 93016.
Is a pharmacologic stress agent included in 93016?
No. Code 93016 covers supervision, not the supplied drug. When the reporting entity supplies regadenoson for the test, J2785 identifies that drug separately.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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