Preventive health screenings use modern, up-to-date medical technology to identify potential problems before you have symptoms. For instance, the carotid artery ultrasound screening is the same safe ultrasound that is used with pregnant women, only it is used to look inside your carotid arteries. The screening tech will measure the rate the blood flows through your arteries, which is affected by the presence of plaque. Plaque in the carotid arteries is a major risk factor for stroke, because it can break off and travel to the brain, or if it completely blocks blood flow, the brain becomes deprived of oxygen.

Many common illnesses are silent in the early stages of development: cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and atrial fibrillation to name a few. Think of it this way: preventive screenings help you learn what your body is NOT telling you.

Early detection of risk for stroke and cardiovascular disease enables you to work with your doctor to develop an action plan, with the goal of preventing chronic disease. Some risk factors you can control: smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and being physically active, for instance. Some risk factors you cannot control, like your age or your family history of stroke and heart disease. Preventive screenings provide powerful information, enabling you to have even more knowledge regarding your risk. And knowledge is power.

Probably not. If you are asymptomatic, meaning you are not yet sick and feel well, but have risk factors such as age, family history of disease or certain health conditions, it’s likely your insurance won’t authorize the test, or pay for it. Once you have our screenings, your doctor can use the results to determine next steps, including ordering insurance-covered diagnostic testing and treatment if necessary.

This is more than just a blood screening. We measure your blood pressure, body mass index (based on height and weight), heart rate and waist circumference. Based on this data as well as information gathered from a brief personal and family health history questionnaire, we are able to assess your risk category for six common chronic diseases, and help you identify what you can do to control or modify your risk factors and improve your health.

We have more than 60 ultrasound teams that conduct screenings in communities across all 48 contiguous US states. We use rooms in facilities such as places of worship, senior centers, civic buildings, community centers and corporations.

A typical screening appointment takes about 90 minutes, including several minutes of paperwork before the actual screening process. The exact time depends on the number of screenings scheduled during your appointment, the level of disease, your vascular anatomy and your body type. Accuracy and quality output are essential to us, so we make every effort to balance that with respect for your schedule.

It depends on which screenings you are having. Once you register for a screening, you will receive specific preparation instructions and the information will be included in your confirmation letter/email. It is important for you to follow those directions in order to get the most accurate results.

Your results are usually available in our convenient online portal approximately 10 days after your screening. However, if we find a condition that requires immediate attention, we will notify you on the day of your screening.

Life Line Screening is aware of the concerns surrounding the quality of preventive public health screenings, and has taken every measure to ensure our screenings are of the highest quality. No test is 100% accurate, but our results are comparable to those you would receive in an accredited hospital vascular lab. Life Line Screening uses state-of-the-art ultrasound technology and highly skilled sonographers to perform our screenings. As part of our strict quality control, most screening results are then reviewed by board-certified physicians to ensure accuracy. Written reports are mailed to participants within 14 days, and we encourage all participants to share the reports with their physicians. We are also engaged in ongoing research with first-tier medical institutions to help advance the understanding of the causes of vascular disease and to further our public health initiatives.

You should be screened annually if your clinical values (blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, etc.) are not in the normal range and if you are at high risk for disease onset. You may want to get screened more often to track your progress if you are making lifestyle changes to reduce your disease risks. If your clinical values are normal and your family health history has not changed, we suggest being screened every three to five years.

This is a personal decision based on your risk factors and previous screening results. Many of our customers incorporate yearly screenings into their preventive healthcare regimen to complement their regular physicals.

Insurance coverage varies from policy to policy. We will provide you with a detailed receipt that can be submitted to your insurance company to determine coverage. You should also make a copy of your results to send along with the receipt.

If Medicare was billed, then you had a Medicare service offered by our sister company, Life Line Community Healthcare, called an Annual Wellness Visit. You may remember sitting down with a Nurse Practitioner, who discussed prevention of disease with you and gave you a Personal Prevention Plan, which included a list of preventive screenings you should have in the future.

If you received an ultrasound screening, an EKG screening, or laboratory (blood) work, the payment you made was for those services, which are conducted by Life Line Screening. The Annual Wellness Visit is a distinct and separate service that is conducted by Life Line Community Healthcare, and is covered by traditional Medicare (part B) and some Medicare Advantage Plans.