How fast is cardiology IDR volume growing?

Quarterly dispute volume more than tripled in a year: 7,041 disputes with cardiology line items in the third quarter of 2024 became 25,240 in the third quarter of 2025. The full 2025 files hold 83,809.

What are the biggest cardiology codes in federal IDR?

EKG tracings (93005, 37,859 disputes) and EKG interpretations (93010, 21,105 disputes), followed by limited venous duplex (93971, 8,683) and limited visceral duplex (93976, 4,789). The duplex codes won about 90 percent of decisions.

Which payers show up most in cardiology disputes?

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (21,044 disputes, 7.15 median multiple), UnitedHealthcare (15,729 at 8.33 times the QPA), Aetna (12,495 at a 91.77 percent provider win rate), and Cigna with MultiPlan-administered claims (6,911 at 78.3 percent).

Answers / The cardiology record

The cardiology IDR record

In the 2025 public use files, 83,809 federal IDR disputes carried cardiology line items. Providers won 88.33 percent of decisions under the No Surprises Act, the median payer offer was 1.0 times the QPA, and the median decided line paid 6.78 times it. Quarterly volume more than tripled year over year, from 7,041 disputes to 25,240.

The bucket, in numbers

Cardiology entered the published federal record late and fast. The 2025 files hold 83,809 disputes with cardiology line items, and the quarterly series shows the slope: 7,041 in the third quarter of 2024, 25,240 in the third quarter of 2025. Providers won 88.33 percent of decisions. The median QPA across the bucket was $44.89 and the median decided award $317.60. Median time to decision ran about 30 days.

Tracings and reads

Two electrocardiogram codes account for most of the volume. The tracing line, 93005, appeared in 37,859 disputes, won 83.35 percent of them, and paid a median decided award of $582.40 against a $111.12 median QPA. The professional interpretation line, 93010, appeared in 21,105 disputes at an 85.63 percent win rate. Its median QPA was $12.51; its median decided award was $94.00. That is the batching story in two numbers: no one arbitrates a twelve-dollar line by itself, and the record shows thousands of them decided anyway, bundled into disputes that made the trip worthwhile.

Duplex studies

Vascular imaging posts the strongest win rates in the bucket. Limited venous duplex of the extremities, 93971, won 89.92 percent of its 8,683 disputes with a median decided award of $271.70 against a $33.42 QPA. Limited visceral duplex, 93976, won 91.68 percent of 4,789 disputes at a median of $492.05 against $82.07. These are high-frequency, low-benchmark codes where the decided record runs six to eight times the payer figure.

Payers, states, and the offer gap

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas leads the dispute count at 21,044, decided at a 7.15 median multiple. UnitedHealthcare's 15,729 disputes decided at 8.33 times the QPA, Aetna's 12,495 at a 91.77 percent provider win rate, and the Cigna and MultiPlan group of 6,911 at 78.3 percent and a 4.02 multiple. Texas holds 43,603 of the disputes and Arizona 8,244. Through all of it, the median payer offer stayed at 1.0 times the QPA. The published decisions at idrexplorer.com are the counterevidence, and Lido IDR prices offers from them for a flat fee per arbitration.

Price your reads against the record

Lido IDR anchors cardiology offers to the published decisions for your codes and payers, then files for a flat fee per arbitration. Talk to an IDR specialist.