CPT code 93017: Stress test, tracing only2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maryland
Reports the technical recording of ECG tracings during exercise or pharmacologic cardiovascular stress testing, apart from supervision and interpretation.
Medicare pays $39.49–$45.99 for 93017 in the office in Maryland, from Rest of Maryland to Washington, DC area. 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 93017 covers
This service captures ECG tracings while a patient undergoes a cardiovascular stress protocol, such as treadmill or bicycle exercise or pharmacologic stress. Cardiology practices and diagnostic testing departments use the tracing to document the heart’s electrical response during stress testing, often when evaluating exertional symptoms or suspected cardiac ischemia. The code covers the recording portion, not the clinician’s interpretation and report.
Report 93017 when the stress-test tracings are performed and the service is billed separately from interpretation; the separate interpretation-and-report code is 93018. Supervision, when furnished and separately reported, is represented by 93016. Documentation should identify the stress test performed and support that ECG tracings were obtained. CMS applies the cardiovascular diagnostic multiple procedure reduction to this code’s technical component when the reduction rules are triggered.
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 93017 pays more and less in Maryland
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$39.49 to $45.99
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore area, MD | $42.04 | Unavailable |
| Rest of Maryland | $39.49 | Unavailable |
| Washington, DC area | $45.99 | Unavailable |
How the 93017 rate is calculated
Each of 93017’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 · 93017
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.15
1.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.1700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$39.08
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 93017
The CMS indicators that decide how 93017 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 93017
Stress test, tracing only
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 6 | Diagnostic cardiovascular reduction applies to the technical component. |
| 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 | 3 | Technical component only. |
93017 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 93015Cardiac stress testGlobal: supervision, tracing, interpretation
- 93015 represents the complete cardiovascular stress-test service. Choose 93017 when reporting only the ECG tracing portion of a split service.
- 93016Stress test supervisionSupervision without tracing or interpretation
- 93016 is for stress-test supervision; 93017 is for producing the ECG tracings. They represent distinct portions of the test.
- 93018Stress test interpretationInterpretation and report only
- 93018 covers the interpretation and report. It does not represent acquisition of the stress-test tracings reported with 93017.
- 93005ECG tracingTracing only
- 93005 represents an ECG tracing outside a cardiovascular stress test; 93017 is for tracings obtained during stress testing.
93017 billing questions
When should 93017 be used instead of 93015?
Use 93017 for the tracing portion when the stress-test services are split. Code 93015 represents the complete stress-test service, including supervision, tracing, interpretation, and report.
Does 93017 include supervision or interpretation?
No. It represents the ECG tracing portion; supervision is separately represented by 93016, and interpretation and report by 93018.
Can 93017 and 93018 be reported for the same stress test?
Yes, when the tracing and the interpretation and report are separately furnished and reported. The tracing record supports the separate professional interpretation.
Is 93017 only for treadmill testing?
No. The tracing may be obtained during treadmill or bicycle exercise stress testing and during a pharmacologic stress protocol.
How does the multiple procedure reduction affect 93017?
CMS applies the cardiovascular diagnostic multiple procedure reduction to the technical component when the reduction rules are triggered.
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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