What to Expect

We know that our services may appear a little complicated at first glance, so we advise you to read this page so that you know what to expect if you make an appointment. It includes prices, insurance reimbursement information and more. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please email them to info@heartcare1.com.

*This is the path of a typical patient:

When you call for an appointment:

We will need to get either your physical address or email address so that we can send you our extremely detailed medical forms. They look at every known risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease.
We will need to get those forms back from you at least 3 days prior to your visit because the doctor will spend at least an hour thoroughly reviewing your medical and family history before you even come into the office.

When you come in for your first visit:

Someone from the front office will check you in and take some basic medical measurements such as height, weight, neck, waist and blood pressure.
Next, you will meet with the doctor. He will review all of your medical forms with you and explain what he sees as red flags and dangerous conditions.
Then he will take you to an examination room and perform a full cardiovascular physical exam. This includes examination of the eyes, thyroid, nodes, gums, teeth, tongue, ears, heart, lungs, abdomen, mental status, cranial nerves, reflexes, skin and peripheral neuropathy.
Finally, he will go back into his office with you and make his recommendations. This includes what tests he would like for the patient to get, fully describing each one, why he wants it, and what it checks for.

This part can vary substantially because each patient is very different and not all of them need the same things. These tests will usually, but not always, include the Carotid Intima Media Thickness test, the Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound scan, the Ankle/Brachial Index test, an EKG, the Heart Scan, and an Advanced Lipid Panel of Blood and Urine. To read more about these tests, please refer to our professional services page.

The patient will leave our office with their recommendations and another appointment in about a month.
- This gives them time to get their heart scan and their blood work (it can take a while to get results of blood work back). Click here for a full description of all the blood tests performed, keeping in mind that we do not always recommend every test for every patient.

When you come back for your follow-up appointment:

A front office person will take the same medical measurements as before, and compare them to the previous ones.
You will then meet with the doctor again. He will review all of their tests, what each measurement in the Advanced Lipid Panel of Blood and Urine meant, what the calcium score on the heart scan means and how much danger it presents, and what the thickness on the CIMT indicates along with its risk factors. To read more about these tests and what they look for, please check our professional services page.
The doctor will then make lifestyle recommendations about diet, exercise, stress management, and more.
- Some of these recommendations are general, such as lose this much weight to fit a body mass index and eat more vegetables. But others are more complicated and based completely on the results of genetic testing within the Advanced Lipid Panel of Blood and Urine. One such test, the Apo E genotype test, will tell a patient how much alcohol they should be drinking. If they are type 4, they should never touch it and if they are type 3 they are almost indifferent to it. But, if they are type 2, then they should have 1-2 drinks a day, (unless they have religious or medical reasons not to).
Next the doctor will prescribe any medication that he deems necessary for the patient. This is also complicated, and varies greatly with each patient, but for more information please refer to our treatment page.
The doctor will also make recommendations about non-prescription items such as fish oils and vitamin D.

Before talking about prices:

It should be noted that insurance typically covers everything that we do, except for the heart scan.
Before your visit, you should call your insurance company about your plan and deductibles to see how much you will be reimbursed.
We also offer an introductory package to see if you need more treatment at a discount, and a full package that saves money if you need everything.

Another quick note about insurance, insurance does cover the cost of our services. However, we do not participate with insurance companies, so the patient will need to pay in full at the time of service. We will then give you a completed superbill to submit to your insurance company (or we will submit it for you), and they should reimburse you at the out of network rate. For questions about this, please refer to our frequently asked questions page.

The Prices

Generally, services are provided at $350 per hour.

That is because the doctor will spend at least an hour reviewing your full medical and family history before you come in, complete a very thorough consultation (averaging around 2 hours long right now) including a cardiovascular physical exam, and will spend another hour or two with dictation and review after the you leave.
Also note that we will send our full report to your doctor and work with them every step along the way.

Th prices for the tests are as follows. Not every patient will need every test.

Heart Scan is $395 (and done elsewhere)
CIMT is $170
Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound is $100
Ankle/Brachial Index test is $60
- CIMT + Abdominal Aorta = $300
- Abdominal Aorta + Ankle/Brachial Index = $300

EKG
Blood-work varies too much to quote here (but typically accepts insurance to cover it).

“Most people would not think twice about spending that to maintain their vehicle, that is a bunch of steel, this is your heart.”
-Brad Bale, M.D.

For more information, please refer to our professional fees page.
To read more about us, please check our about us page.
To make an appointment, please call 303-554-4353.