Thursday, May 24, 2012

Where Can I Get A Private Pay Ctangiogram Without A Doctor’s Referral?

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 1:18
This news item was posted in Medical Information category and has 3 Comments so far.

I thought there were CT clinics you could call and set up appointmnents for an angiogram but I can’t seem to find one. I live outside of Chicago and I would be a private pay patient. My father had a heart attack when he was my age and although all the docs say I’m fine, this procedure would give me great peace of mind (or maybe raise a red flag!)

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3 Responses to “Where Can I Get A Private Pay Ctangiogram Without A Doctor’s Referral?”

  1. mukherd said on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 2:45

    It may be very hard to find a clinic that will do a CT angiogram without a doctor’s referral. I think it was possible few years ago but liability issues have made that difficult. That is because if they do find an abnormality a physician needs to deal with it and the person doing the test has a responsibility of following up on the test ordered.
    Having said that a CT angiogram particularly a 64 slice CT scan would be an excellent way to rule out significant coronary disease in a young individual like you. If anything a CT angiogram tends to overestimate blockages since it can detect blockages in the wall of the blood vessel as opposed to traditional angiogram which is a luminogram and detects blockages that protrude into the lumen.
    The best recourse for you is to go to a doctor and tell him that you are very worried given your family history and willing to pay for a CT angiogram out of pocket. If it is normal you can definitely rest easy.

  2. OkcRN said on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 8:02

    Not anywhere that I know of. You have to have a diagnosis to get one. And by the way, CT won’t show your risk for a heart attack. You need a nuclear scan or CT angiography, or a PET scan.

  3. Jamie, FNP said on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 13:51

    If you have a doc and tell him your concerns and that you are willing to pay out of pocket, there are very few that WOULDN”T send you with a referral. The reason is, is you die from heart disease or have a heart attack you or your family could sue them. Now, this is not a good reason to send you , but it is a motivating factor to go with what the patient wants.
    PS Nurse above is right, your need a PET scan or angiography

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