Preventive Cardiology Services

At UPMC, our team of cardiovascular specialists offers preventive cardiology services to help identify if you are at risk for heart disease and support you in maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle.

What Is Preventive Cardiology?

Preventive cardiology is a cardiac subspecialty that focuses on reducing heart disease risk factors. If you have heart disease, we work to decrease your future risk of a heart attack by helping you optimally treat and manage the factors that caused your condition.

For patients who do not have a known history of heart disease, we offer a detailed review of risk factors and determine if heart screenings or tests are necessary based on your health history.

Risk factors that put you at higher risk for developing heart disease are:

• Family history of heart disease.
• Elevated cholesterol levels.
• High blood pressure.
• High blood sugar or diabetes.
• Obesity.
• Tobacco smoking.
• Unhealthy diet.
• Lack of exercise/sedentary lifestyle.

Uncontrollable risk factors that also may play a role in your risk for developing heart disease include age, gender, and ethnicity.

Our preventive cardiology team will consider all of these factors when assessing your risk and developing your personalized plan.

What conditions do you treat?

Our preventive cardiology team works closely with other medical providers — such as primary care providers, endocrinologists, vascular specialists, exercise physiologists, weight management experts, smoking cessation experts, and nutritionists — to help you manage your risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Who’s eligible for preventive cardiology services?

You may be eligible for preventive cardiology services if you have three or more risk factors for cardiac disease or are concerned about your family history.

What Preventive Cardiology Services Do You Offer?

Our program offers a wide range of services to individuals looking to learn about their cardiovascular disease risk and improve their heart health. Our services include:

Comprehensive cardiac imaging tests

We offer noninvasive cardiac imaging tests, including:

• Coronary calcium scoring — Coronary calcium scoring (CCS) is a five-minute CT scan (also known as computed tomography) that uses imaging technology to detect the buildup of calcium and plaque in the walls of the arteries in your heart.
• Vascular screening — Vascular screenings use ultrasound technology to look for signs of blockages that could cause problems with blood flow, leading to serious complications such as heart attack, stroke, non-healing wounds, bleeding, and more.

Family history and lifestyle assessment

Our preventive cardiologists will review your medical history, family history, and lifestyle factors to assess your risk for developing cardiac disease.

Lifestyle modifications and treatment for chronic conditions

Based on your individual risk factors, we will develop a personalized plan to help you improve your heart health. Your plan may include:

• Cholesterol management.
• Nutritional services.
• Diabetes education and prevention services.
• Tobacco cessation services.
• Weight loss services.

What Can I Expect From Preventive Cardiology Services?

Our team of preventive cardiology experts will create a comprehensive plan to manage your condition and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Before your visit

To prepare for your visit, you will be asked to provide:

• Name, address, and contact phone number.
• Insurance information.
• Relevant medical records and test results.
• A referral, if required by your health insurance company.

If you get a referral from your primary care doctor or another physician, they may be able to provide your test results and medical records to our team.

During your visit

You'll meet with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant when you arrive for your first appointment. He or she will ask about your medical history, family history, and lifestyle and perform an exam.

We'll give you a:

• Complete education session about heart disease risk factors.
• A tailored patient education packet for you to take home.

Your health care provider will explain your risk factors and how you may be able to manage them. Together, we will design and agree on a care plan.

Your care team may also:

• Order blood tests to learn more about your overall health.
• Schedule an imaging test to screen you for heart or vascular disease.

After your Initial screening

Our team will schedule follow-up appointments as needed to check in with you. You should contact our office for questions about your cardiac risk reduction plan.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2024-10-01.