CPT 92930 is the new 2026 code for complex coronary stenting: two or more distinct lesions in the same major artery, or a bifurcation treated in both the main vessel and the side branch. The common error is over-using it, not missing it, because several stents in one long lesion is still 92928.
What CPT 92930 covers
92930 is percutaneous transcatheter placement of intracoronary stent(s), with coronary angioplasty when performed, in a single major artery and/or its branches, for two or more distinct coronary lesions with two or more coronary stents deployed in two or more coronary segments, or a bifurcation lesion requiring angioplasty and/or stenting in both the main artery and the side branch.
It exists to separate complex stenting from the standard case. 92928 now reports stenting of a single lesion regardless of the number of stents or coronary segments involved. 92930 is the code when the work is genuinely more than one lesion, or a bifurcation treated in both limbs.
Vessel modifiers on a 92930 claim
92930 is reported per major coronary artery like the other PCI base codes, with the vessel modifier on the line. What sets it apart happens inside that artery: two or more distinct lesions stented in two or more coronary segments, or a bifurcation treated in both the main artery and the side branch. A second major artery treated in the same session takes its own base code and its own modifier. See the full vessel and branch rules on the CPT 92928 guide.
Reimbursement context
2026 Medicare RVUs for CPT 92930
| CPT 92930: 2026 Medicare RVUs (national, before GPCI) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line | Work | PE, non-facility | PE, facility | Malpractice | Total, non-facility | Total, facility |
| Global (no modifier) | 12.00 | NA | 2.27 | 0.86 | NA | 15.13 |
Source: CMS CY 2026 PFS Relative Value File, RVU26D (October release, published 08/26/2026). RVUs are national and unadjusted; commercial payers set their own rates.
In the 2026 CMS relative value file, CPT 92930 carries 12.00 work RVUs and 15.13 total RVUs. The non-facility column is NA: CMS values this procedure only for a facility setting such as a hospital. Its PC/TC indicator is 0: CMS treats it as a physician service, so modifiers 26 and TC do not apply in any setting. Its global period is 000: related work on the day of the procedure is included, with no postoperative days. Across the PCI base codes, work RVUs run from 8.14 (92920) to 15.00 (92945); 92930 sits at 12.00.
To turn RVUs into payment, each component is multiplied by your locality's geographic practice cost index, the three are added, and the sum is multiplied by the 2026 conversion factor: $33.4009, or $33.5675 for qualifying APM participants (CMS-1832-F; CMS fact sheet). The CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool runs that calculation for your locality.
Documentation requirements
- The vessel treated, named specifically, and every branch involved.
- The coronary segment(s) treated, per the 29-segment model CPT adopted for 2026. Segment-level detail is what separates one lesion from two, and therefore 92928 from 92930.
- Lesion location, length and percentage stenosis before and after, and the number of stents deployed.
- Devices used, including stent type, size and number.
- The clinical indication for intervention, including ischemia evidence where required by payer policy.
- Whether a diagnostic study preceded the intervention in the same session, and if so, why it was necessary and not already available.
- Contrast volume, fluoroscopy time and any complications.
- A signed procedure note naming each intervention performed per vessel.
Medicare contractor billing articles. Each Medicare Administrative Contractor publishes its own billing and coding articles for this service, and the covered diagnoses differ by jurisdiction. Active examples in the CMS Medicare Coverage Database, checked September 28, 2026: A56823 (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Wellpoint Federal) and A57479 (Percutaneous Coronary Interventions, WPS). Use the article from the contractor that processes your claims.
Common denials and the exact fix
Several stents in one lesion billed as 92930
The most likely 92930 error. CPT defines a lesion as running from the proximal end of the target lesion to its distal end, and a single lesion may span several coronary segments. Two or three stents in one long lesion is still one lesion.
Fix: report 92928, which covers a single lesion regardless of the number of stents or segments. Reserve 92930 for two or more distinct lesions with two or more stents in two or more segments, or a bifurcation treated in both the main artery and the side branch.
Complex case under-reported as 92928
The inverse error, and it pays on submission, which is why it persists. A bifurcation treated with angioplasty and/or stenting in both limbs, or a second distinct lesion stented in another segment, is more than 92928 describes.
Fix: route bifurcation and multi-lesion cases through a coding check that reads the procedure note for lesion boundaries and the work done in each limb.
Deleted add-on billed for the side branch
92929, the old add-on for each additional branch, was deleted for 2026. Branch work within the same major artery is part of the base code.
Fix: remove the line. A bifurcation is captured by 92930 itself, not by a branch add-on.
92928 and 92930 both billed for the same artery
All work in a major coronary artery and/or its branches is reported with a single code, coded to the highest-level intervention.
Fix: one base code per major artery. A different major artery treated in the same session takes its own base code with its own vessel modifier.
Distinct lesions not documented as distinct
The code turns on lesion count, and the claim cannot show that. A note that lists stents without saying where each lesion starts and ends does not prove more than one lesion.
Fix: document each lesion's proximal and distal ends, the coronary segments it covers and the stents placed in each. For a bifurcation, document what was done in the main artery and in the side branch.
Missing or duplicated vessel modifier
Vessel identification drives adjudication on every PCI line.
Fix: one modifier per line (LM, LD, LC, RC or RI), no repeats across lines.
Modifier rules
- LC, LD, RC, RI, LM: required on every 92930 line to identify the vessel treated. A missing vessel modifier is one of the most common PCI rejections, and two lines carrying the same vessel modifier read as a duplicate.
- 59 / XE / XP / XS / XU: for a genuinely distinct service, most often a diagnostic study that led to the decision to intervene, and only when the note supports it. Note that 92930 already covers the additional lesions and the bifurcation side branch, so no modifier adds a second line for them.
- 26 / TC: not used. CMS gives CPT 92930 a PC/TC indicator of 0 (physician service), so it is billed without a component modifier in every setting, including the hospital.
- 22: increased procedural services on 92930. Requires a narrative and goes to manual review.
- 78 / 79: a return to the procedure room during the 92930 global day, for a related complication or an unrelated procedure.
NCCI bundling edits
- 92930 with 92928 in the same major artery: one base code per artery, coded to the highest-level intervention.
- 92930 with the deleted add-on 92929: not reportable for 2026.
- Angioplasty in the same vessel: included, since the code reads "with coronary angioplasty when performed".
- Different major arteries in one session: each is separately reportable with its own base code and vessel modifier.
- Native artery versus bypass graft: work in a native artery can be reported separately from work through a graft.
- Vascular access, selective catheterization, traversing the lesion, imaging and closure are included in PCI codes.
Frequently asked questions
When should I report 92930 instead of 92928?
Can I report 92930 for several stents in one long lesion?
Can 92928 and 92930 be billed for the same artery?
Is there an add-on for a stent in a side branch?
Sources
American Medical Association, CPT 2026 Professional Edition.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CY 2026 PFS Relative Value File RVU26D (October release): RVUs, PC/TC indicator and global period for CPT 92930.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, CMS-1832-F: conversion factors.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Correct Coding Initiative Policy Manual for Medicare Services and quarterly procedure-to-procedure edit tables.
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions, 2026 PCI CPT Coding Changes, and the American College of Cardiology Coding Corner overview of new CPT codes for 2026.
Medicare Coverage Database billing and coding articles A56823, A57479.
CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Payer policy and NCCI edits change quarterly, so check your own contractor before submission. How we verify this guidance.
Related codes
- CPT 92928. Coronary stent, one lesion, single major vessel.
- CPT 92933. Coronary atherectomy with stent, single major vessel.
- CPT 92945. CTO revascularization, antegrade and retrograde.
More cardiology code guides
- CPT 93798. Cardiac rehab session with ECG monitoring.
- CPT 93454. Coronary angiography, no heart catheterization.
- CPT 93459. Left heart cath with coronary and bypass graft angiography.
- CPT 93461. Right and left heart cath with coronary and graft angiography.
Related reading
- Cardiology billing & RCM. How we scrub cardiology claims across diagnostics, cath lab, EP and remote monitoring.
- Cardiac cath billing: NCCI bundling and modifier 59. Where cath lab bundling edits bite, and when a distinct-service modifier is genuinely earned.
- TC/26 modifier errors in cardiology. The split-billing mistakes that cost diagnostic practices the most.
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