Williamson Health is inviting you to gift yourself or a loved one a coronary calcium score screening during American Heart Month. This simple scan for asymptomatic people ages 40 to 75 is one of many assessments to help your doctor identify your risk of heart disease before you have signs or symptoms.
Williamson Health is offering $50 coronary calcium score screenings in the month of February. Scans this month do not require a physician referral, but patients will be asked to submit the contact information for their primary care physician for follow-up. Those interested in getting or gifting a screening need to simply call (615) 435-6777 to schedule an appointment for you or a loved one.
Appointments are limited and the coronary calcium score screening will be performed at the Williamson Health Imaging Center on the first floor of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee located at 3000 Edward Curd Lane next to Williamson Medical Center off I-65.
About the screenings
A coronary calcium score screening is a non-invasive, easy way for a physician to assess one of the potential risks for heart disease or a heart attack. The scan takes just minutes using a CT machine to take images of your heart’s blood vessels. The screening looks for calcium buildup in the arteries of your heart. More calcium deposits can lead to plaque buildup and an increased risk of a heart attack.
Each patient screened will be given a score based on the amount of calcium build up. The results will be sent by U.S. mail to the patient’s address and to his/her primary care physician within 48 hours. Patients should review their results and risk with their physician and develop a plan for better heart health as necessary.
This examination is not to be considered a substitute for a clinical examination by a physician. Coronary artery calcium scoring is intended to be a risk assessment test for coronary artery disease only, and the results of this examination should be taken into careful consideration by the patient’s own physician in the context of other factors such as relevant history, physical examination and other indicated or related investigations.
Who could benefit from a screening? According to the American Heart Association:
- People reluctant to begin therapy with medicine and who want to understand their risk and potential benefit more precisely.
- People concerned about restarting therapy with medicine after stopping treatment because of side effects.
- Men ages 55 to 80 or women 60 to 80 with few risk factors who question whether they would benefit from therapy with medicine.
- People ages 40 to 55 with an estimated 10-year risk for developing heart disease between 5 percent and 7.5 percent, and risk factors that increase their chances of heart disease.
Learn more about our many specialized services at WilliamsonHealth.org.
