Does Medicare Cover Electrocardiogram (EKG) Tests?

Yes. Medicare Part B covers an electrocardiogram (EKG) whenever your doctor orders one to evaluate a medical concern, and it also pays for a single screening EKG tied to your “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit.¹ After you meet the annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.² The approved amount for a standard EKG is small, so the out-of-pocket share is usually modest unless the test is done in a hospital setting.

When Part B Pays for a Diagnostic EKG

Part B covers an EKG any time a doctor orders it to diagnose or monitor a condition. Chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, follow-up on a known rhythm disorder, and pre-surgical clearance all qualify. The requirement is medical necessity: the ordering doctor has to document the signs, symptoms, or clinical reason behind the test.³

There is no cap on how many diagnostic EKGs Medicare will cover in a year. If a cardiologist wants to recheck your rhythm every few months while adjusting a medication, each test is covered under the same cost-sharing rules.

The One-Time Screening EKG

Medicare covers one screening EKG in your lifetime, and only as a referral from your “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit. That visit is available during the first 12 months after you enroll in Part B, and the doctor must refer you for the EKG during it.¹ This is the only situation in which Medicare treats an EKG as a routine screening rather than a response to a specific symptom.³

The visit itself usually carries no cost-sharing when the provider accepts assignment, but the screening EKG follows the regular Part B rules. The deductible and 20% coinsurance still apply to the EKG portion of the bill.¹

What You’ll Actually Pay

Under Original Medicare, the math is straightforward. You first satisfy the annual Part B deductible of $283 in 2026, then pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the EKG.² The approved rate for a standard 12-lead EKG with interpretation averages about $15 nationally in a non-facility setting, so the 20% coinsurance often works out to around $3.

The picture changes at a hospital outpatient department or hospital-owned clinic. In that setting, a separate facility copayment can be added on top of the coinsurance, and hospital facility fees can dwarf the professional fee for reading the tracing.¹ If you have a choice, ask whether the EKG can be done in your doctor’s office instead.

You may also see two separate bills for one test. An EKG has a technical component (running the machine and recording the tracing) and a professional component (a physician reading the results). When those are performed by different providers, they bill separately, and you owe 20% on each. This is normal Medicare billing.

EKGs While You’re Admitted to the Hospital

If you’re an inpatient, an EKG performed during your stay falls under Part A, not Part B. Part A bundles medically necessary diagnostic tests into your hospital care with no separate per-service charge. You pay the Part A inpatient deductible, which is $1,736 in 2026 and covers the first 60 days of a benefit period.² Once that deductible is paid, EKGs during those days add nothing to your bill.

If You Have Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) must cover everything Original Medicare covers, including diagnostic EKGs and the one screening EKG. Cost-sharing often looks different, though. A plan may charge a flat copayment for outpatient diagnostic tests instead of the 20% coinsurance, and some plans waive copays for certain preventive services. Check the plan’s Evidence of Coverage or call member services before your appointment.

What Happens If Medicare Might Deny the Claim

If your doctor or facility thinks Medicare may not cover a particular EKG because the clinical justification is borderline, they must give you a written Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) before running the test.⁴ The ABN gives you three choices: get the test and have a claim submitted to Medicare, get the test without a claim, or decline the test.

The first option is usually the right one if you want the EKG done. It preserves your right to appeal if Medicare denies payment. An ABN is not a denial; it’s a warning that the provider has concerns about coverage, and Medicare may still approve the claim after reviewing the documentation.⁴ ABNs apply only to Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans use their own prior authorization and denial processes.

Keeping Your EKG Bill Low

Confirm that your provider accepts Medicare assignment, meaning they take the Medicare-approved amount as full payment. Providers who accept assignment cannot bill you beyond the deductible and 20% coinsurance.⁵ A provider who doesn’t accept assignment can charge up to 15% above that amount.

A Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy can cover some or all of what’s left. Most Medigap plans pick up the 20% Part B coinsurance, and some also cover the Part B deductible.⁶ With the right Medigap plan and a provider who accepts assignment, your out-of-pocket cost for a routine diagnostic EKG can be zero.

Before you schedule the test, ask two questions: will it be billed as diagnostic or screening, and will it be done in a hospital outpatient setting? Those two answers shape the final bill more than anything else.¹

1
Medicare.gov. Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) Screenings
2
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles
3
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. National Coverage Determination – Electrocardiographic Services
4
Medicare.gov. Your Protections
5
Medicare.gov. Does Your Provider Accept Medicare as Full Payment
6
Medicare.gov. Compare Medigap Plan Benefits