Summary & Overview
CPT 0929T: Remote Interrogation for Cardiac Contractility Modulation–Defibrillator
CPT code 0929T covers comprehensive remote interrogation and monitoring services for an implantable cardiac contractility modulation–defibrillation system over a period of up to 90 days. It documents the technical pathway: remote data acquisition, transmission receipt, technician review, technical support, and distribution of results. This capability matters nationally as remote device management is increasingly integral to cardiac device care, supporting follow-up, safety surveillance, and device performance assessment without an in-person visit.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a focused overview of the code’s clinical and operational scope, common modifiers provided in the input, typical site-of-service context, and where to expect policy and coverage considerations among major commercial and public payers. The publication highlights benchmarking topics such as typical service line classification, payer coverage variation, and implications for outpatient device monitoring workflows.
This resource is intended to inform billing, compliance, and operational teams about the code’s purpose, how it aligns with remote cardiac device surveillance practices, and the primary areas to review in payer policies and internal coding guidance. Data not provided in the input (for example, detailed payer policy language or associated ICD-10 codes) is noted as unavailable and should be obtained from payer-specific policy documents.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 0929T describes remote data acquisition (once or more), receipt of transmissions, technician review, technical support, and distribution of results related to remote interrogation device evaluation for an implantable cardiac contractility modulation–defibrillation system. The service timeframe is up to 90 days and encompasses end-to-end remote monitoring workflows performed on behalf of the treating clinician and device manufacturer.
Service type: Remote device interrogation and monitoring (technical and operational services)
Typical site of service: Outpatient remote monitoring / ambulatory device surveillance performed offsite from the patient, with technical activity contributed by a clinic or device monitoring center and data originating from the implanted device in the patient’s home.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 68-year-old patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy and reduced ejection fraction has an implanted cardiac contractility modulation–defibrillation (CCM‑D) system. The device transmits stored diagnostic and therapy delivery data remotely. Over a 90‑day monitoring window, a remote monitoring technician receives one or more transmissions, performs technician-level review and technical processing, and distributes summarized results to the implanting electrophysiology clinic. Typical workflow: the patient triggers an automatic scheduled transmission or the device sends an event transmission; the remote monitoring vendor logs the transmission, verifies device connectivity and data integrity, performs routine technician review (arrhythmia detection flags, therapy delivery logs, device diagnostics), escalates clinically significant findings to the clinic’s nursing or electrophysiologist team, generates a results report, and archives the transmission. The typical site of service is an outpatient remote monitoring center operated by an implanted device clinic, with coordination among the device manufacturer’s technical support, clinic nursing staff, and the implanting electrophysiologist. This service supports ongoing device surveillance, detection of arrhythmias, assessment of delivered CCM therapy, and identification of technical issues requiring in‑person follow up or programming changes.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when the remote processing required substantially greater work or complexity than typical (document justification). |
51 | Multiple procedures | Use when billing this remote interrogation service on the same claim with other distinct CPT procedures during the same encounter and payer requires modifier for multiple procedures. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the remote interrogation service was partially performed or truncated and documentation supports reduced service. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the remote interrogation process was started but discontinued for patient safety or technical reasons and this is documented. |
80 | Assistant surgeon | Use if an appropriate assistant at surgery is being reported on the same claim for related implant procedures (rare for remote service; include only if payer requires). |
82 | Assistant surgeon (when a qualified resident not available) | Use similarly to 80 when applicable to concurrent surgical billing scenarios. |
AS | Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery | Use when mid‑level provider services are reported as an assistant on related surgical claims; relevant when combined with implantation services. |
TG | Via interactive audio and video telemedicine service that is furnished via an asynchronous telecommunications system | Use when payer-specific rules require designation of asynchronous remote device interrogation transmission processing (if accepted by payer). |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Use when this remote interrogation is a separate and distinct service from other billed services on the same date and the payer requires 59 instead of 51 (if clinically appropriate). |
26 | Professional component | Use when separating professional interpretation and reporting of remote device data from the technical processing, if payer accepts component billing. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 207RH0000X | Cardiology | Electrophysiologists and cardiologists who manage implantable cardiac devices and interpret remote device data. |
| 207RP1001X | Cardiac Electrophysiology | Specialists who program CCM‑D devices and adjudicate device therapy and arrhythmia events. |
| 207P00000X | Internal Medicine | Primary care physicians involved in ongoing chronic cardiac care coordination and follow up. |
| 163W00000X | Nurse Practitioner | Advanced practice providers who review remote reports and coordinate patient outreach. |
| 363A00000X | Clinical Nurse Specialist | Nursing specialists in cardiology device clinics who process or triage remote interrogation reports. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Data not available in the input. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
93294 | Interrogation device evaluation (in person) of pacemaker, implantable defibrillator, cardiac resynchronization pacemaker and/or implantable loop recorder with analysis, review and report, with programming when performed | In‑person device interrogation often performed when remote interrogation identifies issues requiring reprogramming or further device testing; complements remote monitoring. |
93296 | Interrogation device evaluation (remote or in person) of implanted pacemaker, implantable defibrillator, cardiac resynchronization device, or implantable loop recorder with continuous monitoring; review and report | Used for other remote monitoring services; may be reported for different device types and complements the remote CCM‑D transmissions covered by the remote data acquisition code. |
99457 | Remote physiologic monitoring treatment management services, clinical staff/physician/other qualified healthcare professional time in a calendar month requiring interactive communication with the patient/caregiver | Used when clinical management of the patient’s cardiac condition is performed based on remote data and includes interactive communication; may follow or be triggered by remote device transmissions. |
93279 | Recording and analysis of cardiac event monitor, transtelephonic monitoring, or external ambulatory ECG, with physician review and interpretation, per 30 days | Used when external ambulatory ECG monitoring is ordered in addition to device remote data to evaluate symptoms or arrhythmias detected in the device transmissions. |
99091 | Collection and interpretation of physiologic data digitally stored and/or transmitted by the patient and/or caregiver to the physician, requiring ≥ 30 minutes of time | Used for substantial data collection and interpretation activities related to remote cardiac monitoring when billing for clinician time and accepted by payer. |