Summary & Overview
CPT 93319: 3D Imaging During Echocardiography
CPT code 93319 captures three-dimensional (3D) imaging performed during the same session as a primary echocardiography study, allowing real-time visualization and postprocessing reconstruction and measurement. Nationally, this code matters as 3D echocardiographic techniques expand diagnostic precision for structural heart disease, valve assessment, and pre-procedural planning, and payers increasingly define coverage and payment policies for advanced imaging adjuncts.
Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication provides a concise view of payer coverage scope and common modifier usage patterns relevant to billing workflows.
Readers will learn: benchmarks and utilization context for 3D echocardiography adjunct services; the clinical role of real-time acquisition plus postprocessing for reconstruction and measurement; and the typical clinical and site-of-service settings where 93319 is reported. Where input fields were not provided, the publication notes that data is not available in the input. The summary aims to clarify clinical intent and billing context for hospital and ambulatory echocardiography programs, coding professionals, and policy analysts.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 93319 describes three-dimensional (3D) imaging performed during the same session as a primary echocardiography service using a 3D-capable machine. The provider acquires real-time 3D images and may use postprocessing software for additional reconstruction and measurement studies.
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Service type: Advanced cardiac imaging adjunct to primary echocardiography
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Typical site of service: Echocardiography laboratory or other imaging suite where echocardiography is performed
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 68-year-old patient with progressive dyspnea and a history of ischemic heart disease is referred for transthoracic echocardiography to evaluate valvular structure and ventricular function. During the same session as the primary 2D transthoracic echocardiogram, the sonographer and interpreting cardiologist use a 3D-capable ultrasound machine to acquire real-time three-dimensional datasets of the mitral and aortic valves and left ventricular volumes. Postprocessing reconstruction and measurements are performed on the workstation to quantify valve anatomy, compute 3D left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction, and assess leaflet morphology for surgical planning. The typical clinical workflow includes patient preparation and positioning, acquisition of standard 2D and Doppler views, immediate acquisition of 3D live or full-volume datasets, brief real-time review at the bedside, and subsequent postprocessing reconstruction and measurements by the interpreting physician or trained technologist. The procedure commonly occurs in an outpatient cardiology clinic or hospital-based echocardiography lab staffed by registered diagnostic cardiac sonographers and interpreted by cardiologists with appropriate echocardiography credentials.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | When billing only the physician interpretation of the imaging when the technical component is billed separately |