Echocardiogram price: Medicare anchor and facility lever
Anchor for Echocardiogram - CPT 93306
$193.43
Professional (26) $67.97 plus technical (TC) $125.46.
A complete transthoracic echocardiogram with Doppler and color flow is CPT 93306, and its price depends heavily on whether a hospital or a cardiology office does it. The professional interpretation is a larger share of this anchor than for most imaging, so a quote that leaves out the reading is missing more than usual.
CPT code
93306
Echocardiography, transthoracic, real-time with image documentation (2D), includes M-mode recording, when performed, complete, with spectral Doppler echocardiography and with color flow Doppler echocardiography
CPT 93306 is the complete transthoracic study with Doppler and color flow. A limited study is 93308. Stress echocardiography uses 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93306 (this page) | $193.43 | $193.43 | not a surgical global | $558.25 (APC 5524) | $111.65 |
| 93307 | $135.37 | $135.37 | not a surgical global | $243.77 (APC 5523) | $48.76 |
| 93308 | $99.23 | $99.23 | not a surgical global | $243.77 (APC 5523) | $48.76 |
Billed alone in a hospital, 93306 maps to CY2026 APC 5524 at $558.25, with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $111.65. A complete study without Doppler (93307) and the limited study (93308) both map to the lower APC 5523, so the hospital facility amount drops by more than half if the study is limited.
In an office the global anchor is $193.43, with $67.97 of it for the cardiologist's interpretation. When an outside cardiologist reads a hospital echo, that professional amount arrives as its own bill.
For a Medicare patient, the hospital facility copayment for 93306 alone has a minimum unadjusted amount of $111.65, and the cardiologist's coinsurance is figured on the professional component of $67.97. In a cardiology office billing globally, coinsurance applies once to $193.43. The hospital single-service APC amount, $558.25, is well above the full office global anchor, which is the gap a self-pay patient should ask about.
Inside and outside the 93306 anchor
Covered by the anchor
- Sonographer acquisition and measurements
- Interpreting physician interpretation and written report
- Doppler and color flow as part of the complete study
Billed outside it
- Stress portion when a stress echo is ordered (different codes)
- The ordering visit and follow-up visit
- Contrast agent when used and billed separately in some settings
Why prices vary for CPT 93306
Echocardiography is performed in hospital outpatient departments, cardiology offices, and imaging centers. In a hospital the facility bills OPPS and the cardiologist bills the professional fee. In an office the service is paid at the PFS nonfacility rate with the technical component inside the global payment. The facility-type lever is real but narrower than for MRI, because a meaningful share of the anchor is the professional interpretation.
Ask whether the echo will be billed globally (office or imaging center) or split (hospital facility plus professional), and get the all-in cash quote for 93306 in writing.
Questions specific to Echocardiogram
- Is the order for a complete study with Doppler (93306) or a limited one (93308)?
- Who interprets the study, and does that physician bill separately?
- If contrast is used for image quality, is it inside the price?
- Is the location a hospital department or a cardiology office?
- For a Medicare patient: will the hospital and the cardiologist each send a claim, and what minimum copayment applies to the hospital line for 93306?
Echocardiogram: billing questions
Why did I get two bills for one echocardiogram?
In a hospital, the facility bills the technical service under OPPS and the interpreting cardiologist bills the professional component. That two-bill structure is normal; check that both bills name the same code and date.
How much lower is the hospital anchor for a limited echo?
In CY2026, 93306 maps to APC 5524 and 93308 to APC 5523. The code table on this page shows both payment amounts so you can see the difference.
Is a stress echo priced under 93306?
No. Stress echocardiography uses different codes. Confirm the exact code on the order before comparing prices.
What is the minimum Medicare hospital copayment for a complete echo?
In the CY2026 OPPS Addendum B, 93306 maps to APC 5524 with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $111.65, before wage-index adjustment. The interpreting cardiologist's coinsurance is separate.