How much should an echocardiogram cost – and who should you trust to report your echo!

A few months ago Dr Anthony Pearson, an American cardiologist who writes a very educational and thought provoking blog called “The Skeptical Cardiologist“, raised the interesting question of how much should an echo cost and most importantly how can you ensure that you are getting a high quality echo recording that is interpreted appropriately.

His article is well worth reading and whilst the US and UK health systems are very different, what is clear is that it is very important to ensure that whoever is reading and interpreting your echo has the appropriate credentials or as Dr Pearson puts it succinctly “is up to the task”. After carrying out research on where patients could go to for an echo in the UK the team here at HeartScan were very pleased to see Dr Pearson’s positive recommendation.

“At one private UK clinic, you can have your echo read by Dr. Antoinette Kenny, who appears extremely well qualified for the task” 

 

We echo his view! After all you would be unlikely to employ an electrician to do the plumbing in your home or vice versa so keep that principle in mind when deciding who should report your echo scan.

The team here agree with The Sceptical Cardiologist – if you are seeking a private echo then you should certainly shop around for an affordable option but be cautious and ensure that when you chose where to go for your echo there is:

• Good quality equipment
• The physiologist is appropriately accredited
• Most importantly the reporting cardiologist has the necessary echo credentials

 

We hope you agree that at HeartScan we have achieved the perfect balance of good value and quality.

As a follow-on you can view my conversation with Dr. Pearson about the differences in echo provision on either side of the pond.