CARDIOLOGY · CPT 93624

CPT 93624: Electrophysiologic Follow-Up Study With Pacing and Recording

Electrophysiology cluster · Last updated September 2026

CPT 93624 covers a follow-up electrophysiology study performed to test whether a therapy is working. It is narrow by design, and the errors around it come from reporting it when a full diagnostic study was actually performed, or the reverse.

What CPT 93624 covers

93624 is an electrophysiologic follow-up study with pacing and recording to test the effectiveness of therapy, including induction or attempted induction of arrhythmia.

The defining element is purpose. This is not an initial diagnostic evaluation; it is a re-study asking whether an existing therapy, most often a drug regimen or a prior ablation, has achieved its goal.

Reimbursement context

Electrophysiology procedures are high-value and heavily documented, and the difference between a correctly and incorrectly coded ablation session is large enough to matter on a single case.

Medicare pays for this code under the Physician Fee Schedule, and the amount depends on where you practise. Each code carries relative value units for physician work, practice expense and malpractice, each adjusted by a geographic practice cost index (GPCI) for the locality, and the total is multiplied by the conversion factor:

(work RVU × work GPCI + practice expense RVU × PE GPCI + malpractice RVU × MP GPCI) × conversion factor

For 2026 the conversion factor is $33.4009 for practitioners who are not qualifying APM participants and $33.5675 for qualifying APM participants, as set in the CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule (CMS-1832-F; see the CMS fact sheet). Because the RVUs differ by code and the GPCIs differ by locality, what your practice is paid will differ from any national average. Pull the RVUs and the payment for your own locality from the CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool.

Documentation requirements

  • The arrhythmia being treated, named specifically, with its mechanism.
  • Catheters inserted and their positions.
  • Induction or attempted induction, and the response.
  • Pacing and recording performed at each site, noted even where the code includes it.
  • The ablation target, energy delivered and endpoint achieved.
  • Where a second distinct mechanism was treated, its identification as distinct from the primary.
  • Mapping and imaging performed, named specifically so the record shows what the comprehensive code covered.
  • A signed procedure note naming the study and ablation performed.

Common denials and the exact fix

Reported when a comprehensive diagnostic study was performed

A full diagnostic evaluation is not a follow-up study, and reporting 93624 for it under-reports the work.

Fix: code to what was performed and documented. If the study was a comprehensive evaluation, report the appropriate comprehensive code.

Reported alongside an ablation performed in the same session

The comprehensive ablation codes already include the diagnostic study, induction, pacing and recording.

Fix: where an ablation was performed, report the ablation code and remove the follow-up study line.

Therapy being tested is not identified

The code exists to test effectiveness of therapy. A note that does not say which therapy was under test leaves nothing to support it.

Fix: name the therapy, the question being asked, and the result of induction or attempted induction.

CO-50: indication does not support a repeat study

A re-study needs a documented clinical reason, such as recurrent symptoms or a change in therapy.

Fix: record what prompted the follow-up rather than relying on a scheduled interval.

Modifier rules

  • 51: never appended to the ablation add-on codes, which are exempt from multiple-procedure reduction.
  • 59 / XE / XP / XS / XU: reserved for genuinely distinct services. Not a route to reporting mapping, pacing or a diagnostic EP study that the comprehensive code already includes.
  • 26 / TC: applies in facility settings where professional and technical components are billed separately.
  • 22: increased procedural services, requiring a narrative and manual review.
  • 53: discontinued procedure, where an ablation was aborted after the patient was prepared.
  • 78 / 79: return to the procedure room during a global period, related or unrelated.

NCCI bundling edits

  • 93624 with a comprehensive ablation code: the diagnostic study, induction, pacing and recording are included in the ablation code.
  • 93624 with a comprehensive diagnostic EP study: report the study actually performed, not both.
  • Vascular access, guidance and closure are included.
  • Add-on codes follow their own primary-code rules and are not reported with a follow-up study unless that primary is present.

Frequently asked questions

When is CPT 93624 the correct code?
When an electrophysiology study is performed specifically to test whether an existing therapy is working, using pacing and recording with induction or attempted induction of the arrhythmia. It is a re-study rather than an initial diagnostic evaluation, and the note should name the therapy under test.
Can 93624 be billed with an ablation performed the same day?
No. The comprehensive ablation codes already include the diagnostic study, so a separate follow-up study line duplicates that work. Report the ablation code for the session.
What documentation supports 93624?
The therapy being tested, the clinical question that prompted the re-study, the pacing and recording performed, the result of induction or attempted induction, and a conclusion on whether the therapy achieved its goal.

Sources

American Medical Association, CPT 2026 Professional Edition.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Correct Coding Initiative Policy Manual and quarterly edit tables, cms.gov.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool, cms.gov.
American College of Cardiology, acc.org. AAPC coding resources, aapc.com.

CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Code descriptors are summarised here for billing guidance and are not a substitute for the current CPT codebook. Payer rules and NCCI edits change quarterly; verify against your own payer policy before submission.

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