CPT code 93616: Esophageal EP study, with pacing2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 93616 covers

A clinician places an electrode catheter in the esophagus to record cardiac electrical signals and deliver pacing stimuli. Cardiologists and electrophysiologists may use this transesophageal approach to evaluate rhythm disturbances, including when assessing how the heart responds to pacing. The service is performed in a setting equipped for cardiac rhythm testing, such as a hospital electrophysiology laboratory.

Medicare assigns this CPT code physician fee schedule status C, or carrier priced: CMS publishes no national payment, and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for each claim. The diagnostic test has professional and technical portions. Modifier 26 identifies the interpretation; modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service. The service has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.

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 93616 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

93616 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 93616 rate is calculated

Each of 93616’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 93616

The CMS indicators that decide how 93616 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

93616 compared with similar codes

How to choose

93615Esophageal recordingWithout pacing

Choose 93616 when esophageal pacing accompanies the recording. Choose 93615 for esophageal recording without pacing.

93610Intracardiac pacingAtrial chamber

93610 describes intra-atrial pacing with an intracardiac approach. This code is for esophageal recording with pacing.

93602Atrial recordingIntracardiac

93602 reports intra-atrial recording using an intracardiac approach. This code involves esophageal recording and pacing.

Codes related to 93616

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates