Cardiovascular Stress Test price: Medicare anchor and facility lever
Anchor for Cardiovascular Stress Test - CPT 93015
$72.73
Nonfacility PFS $72.73; facility professional PFS $72.73.
CPT 93015 is the complete exercise or drug stress test, covering supervision, the tracing, and the interpretation in one code. When different people or entities perform those parts, the test is billed in pieces under 93016, 93017 and 93018. That split is the key to reading a stress test quote or bill.
CPT code
93015
Cardiovascular stress test using maximal or submaximal treadmill or bicycle exercise, continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, and/or pharmacological stress; with supervision, interpretation and report
CPT 93015 is the complete stress test service including supervision, tracing, and interpretation. When the parts are split, supervision is 93016, the tracing is 93017, and interpretation is 93018. Imaging-based stress tests use different codes.
The codes this visit can be billed under
| CPT | PFS office or global | PFS facility (professional) | Global period | Hospital single-service APC | Minimum Medicare copay at hospital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93015 (this page) | $72.73 | $72.73 | not a surgical global | not paid by APC | n/a |
| 93016 | $20.74 | $20.74 | not a surgical global | not paid by APC | n/a |
| 93017 | $38.19 | $38.19 | not a surgical global | $220.60 (APC 5722) | $44.12 |
| 93018 | $13.79 | $13.79 | not a surgical global | not paid by APC | n/a |
The CY2026 Michigan Locality 01 anchors are $72.73 for the complete service, and for the parts $20.74 supervision, $38.19 tracing, and $13.79 interpretation. In a hospital, the tracing code 93017 maps to APC 5722 at $220.60, so a hospital-based test usually arrives as a facility line plus physician lines.
Imaging stress tests, such as stress echocardiography or nuclear studies, use other codes with much larger anchors. Make sure the quote is for the test that was actually ordered.
The parts of a split stress test add up, within a cent of rounding, to the complete code's anchor: supervision $20.74, tracing $38.19 and interpretation $13.79 against $72.73 for 93015. In a hospital, though, the tracing is paid as a facility service through APC 5722, with a minimum unadjusted Medicare copayment of $44.12, which is far above the fee schedule amount for the same component.
Inside and outside the 93015 anchor
Covered by the anchor
- Exercise or pharmacologic stress supervision
- Continuous electrocardiographic tracing
- Physician interpretation and written report (all inside the complete-service code 93015)
Billed outside it
- Imaging agents or imaging portions billed under separate codes when a stress imaging study is ordered
- The ordering visit and follow-up visit
- A separate cardiology consultation billed on its own code
Why prices vary for CPT 93015
The complete stress test is a single Physician Fee Schedule service with no OPPS facility anchor. Cash quotes still vary because some sites bill the complete code and others bill the components, and because hospital-based testing can add a separate facility line for the department. Ask which structure the quote uses and confirm the all-in price in writing.
Ask whether the test will be billed as one complete service (93015) or split into component codes, and whether it will be done in an office, imaging center, or hospital outpatient department. Get the all-in cash price for the complete test.
Questions specific to Stress test
- Will the test be billed as one complete code (93015) or in parts?
- If in parts, who bills supervision, tracing, and interpretation?
- Is this an ECG-only stress test, or does it include imaging?
- Is the test in a hospital department, which adds a facility line?
Cardiovascular Stress Test: billing questions
Why did I get more than one bill for a stress test?
When a hospital performs the test, it bills the tracing (93017) as a facility service and the physicians bill supervision (93016) and interpretation (93018). In an office, one complete code (93015) is common.
Is a stress echo the same as 93015?
No. Stress tests with imaging use other codes and have higher anchors. 93015 covers the ECG-monitored stress test only.
What is the hospital facility amount for a stress test?
In CY2026 the tracing code 93017 maps to hospital APC 5722. The code table on this page shows its amount next to the physician-side anchors.
What does a Medicare patient pay for a hospital stress test?
In a hospital, the tracing (93017) maps to APC 5722 in the CY2026 OPPS Addendum B, with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $44.12. The physicians' supervision and interpretation carry separate coinsurance on their fee schedule amounts.