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Heart Calcium Score Test

Heart calcium scoring helps spot the early stages of heart disease while there’s still time to stop it. Schedule your heart screening today. Because life is better when you know the score.

Stylized heart with EKG graphics in the background. Stylized heart with EKG graphics in the background.

What is a Heart Calcium Score Test?

The presence, location, and amount of calcium in your heart’s arteries tells your doctor whether you are at risk for heart problems.

If you are at a higher risk of heart attack, your provider can help you reduce your risk.

Who Should Get a Heart Calcium Score Test?

Consider having a heart calcium score test if you are over age 30 (men) or 40 (women).

You may also benefit from knowing your calcium score if you have any of these risk factors:

  • Diabetes
  • Family history of heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • History of smoking
  • Lifestyle with little to no physical activity
  • Overweight or obese body mass index (BMI)

Why Get a Heart Calcium Score Test?

A heart scan is a quick, painless, low-cost screening option that provides you and your doctor with potentially life-saving information.

A heart calcium score test is an easy way to detect years of plaque buildup in the heart long before you have heart disease symptoms. Even though you may feel okay, you could still be at risk of heart disease.

If you have a family history of or are being treated for heart disease, talk to your provider. They can help determine if heart calcium scoring is right for you.

How to Schedule Your Test

There are a few ways to schedule your scan. Choose what’s easiest for you. 

Talk to Your Primary Care Provider

You may need a referral from your doctor before you schedule your heart scan.

Call your doctor or message them in MyHSHS or MyPrevea.

Schedule by Phone

LocationPhone Number
Illinois - All Locations
Wisconsin - Green Bay, Oconto Falls
Wisconsin - Sheboygan

Frequently Asked Questions

You can get a heart test at an HSHS location for $100 plus tax.

You have the option to use your flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA) or health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) to pay for calcium scoring.

We recommend contacting your health insurance to confirm if and how much they cover for the calcium score test. You can also estimate the cost of procedures with the MyHSHS price estimation tool.

Referral requirements vary by state and location.

We recommend contacting your primary care provider before you schedule a heart scan. You can call them directly or message them in MyHSHS or MyPrevea.

Need a primary care doctor?

The calcium test is simple and takes about 15 minutes. You lie down and let the CT scanner do the rest. The procedure is non-invasive — with no injections or radioactive dyes.

After you schedule your scan, you’ll receive instructions on how to prepare for your test. Our diagnostics team is also here to answer any questions.

You usually receive your calcium score results on the same day of your scan or within 24 hours. Results are available through MyHSHS or MyPrevea. We also call you and schedule follow-up care if needed.

A calcium score is usually on a scale of zero to over 1,000. The higher the number, the more calcium buildup there is in the heart. A higher number also means a higher risk of heart attack.

Any number over zero is a positive test. Usually, a calcium score of 100 or less means mild coronary artery disease. A score above 400 is more severe coronary artery disease.

If you have a high calcium score, you may be at a higher risk of heart attack. Your provider will look at your score along with other factors. They'll work with you to see if you need additional imaging scans or treatments to prevent a heart attack.