Your second scan is read against your first.
From your second Smart Scan on, the radiologist reads your new images alongside your previous exam and reports what has changed. The comparison is included at no extra cost.
A comparison needs two Smart Scan exams on file, so it begins with your second Smart Scan; a scan from another provider does not count. Each exam is $798; the comparison adds nothing to that.
Two scans, and the second one compares.
There is no separate sign-up. The first exam sets the reference, and every exam after it is read against the ones before.
- Your first scan is the baseline. On its own it describes today: a full-body report and a heart report with your calcium score. It is kept, so a later exam has something to be measured against.
- Your second scan includes the comparison. The radiologist reads the new images against the baseline and reports what is new, what has changed, and what has stayed the same.
- Every scan after that does the same. Each later exam is read against your previous Smart Scan imaging, year after year.
What a comparison adds.
- Change, measured. A finding that is the same size and shape as last time reads differently from one that is new. Stability is information too.
- Your calcium score over time. The heart scan is repeated with every exam, so your score can be set beside the one before it.
- Both reports, to you and your physician. The comparison is part of the report you already receive, delivered in as little as 48 hours.
Smart Scan is recommended as an annual procedure for the best results. How often you repeat a screening exam is still a decision for you and your physician, and a repeat exam is not automatically warranted.
Questions people ask.
Does the comparative study cost extra?
No. It is included with your second Smart Scan and every one after it. You pay for the exam itself, $798, and nothing more for the comparison.
Why doesn’t my first scan include one?
A comparison needs something to compare with. Your first exam becomes the baseline, and the comparison starts with the exam that follows it.
Can a scan I had somewhere else count as my first?
No. Both exams have to be Smart Scans. Your first Smart Scan becomes your baseline, and your second is read against it.
Does my second scan have to be at the same center?
No. Your scans can be at different partner imaging centers, so you can book whichever of our fourteen Florida centers is nearest you at the time.
How long should I wait between scans?
Smart Scan is recommended as an annual procedure for the best results. Your own physician knows your history and is the right person to help you decide when to repeat it.
Who sees the comparison?
The same people who see your reports: you, and the physician you list. It is part of the board-certified radiologist’s report, not a separate document sent anywhere else.
Does this work for employer programs?
Yes. When an employer offers Smart Scan year after year, each returning employee’s exam is compared with their previous one. How the employer program works.
$798
Start with your baseline.
The first scan is the one every later scan is measured against.