It takes less than 20 minutes to complete an angio screening, from initial paperwork to a printed report with data, images and a CD of information for the patient’s regular doctor. In less than half an hour the screening can find potentially lifesaving medical information for patients.

For about two years, Clark Regional Medical Center has offered the screenings, both in the hospital on a monthly basis or on location at local businesses. The screening covers a number of checks, including blood pressure, body mass index, an EKG, heart rate and an ultrasound of the carotid arteries in the patient’s neck.

In many instances, the screenings have uncovered heart problems or other situations the patient didn’t know existed, said Katy Hedge, marketing director for Clark Regional Medical Center.

One patient, who was on medication for high blood pressure, tested with high blood pressure that day, she said. After talking with his doctor, they determined his medication wasn’t working and adjusted it.

“It’s so easy to miss the signs and symptoms of heart disease,” she said. “Sometimes with heart disease, it is a silent killer.”

In others, the ultrasounds found thyroid nodules which led to additional testing and one diagnosis of thyroid cancer, she said.

“They only way we would have found it is that test,” she said.

On a recent morning Bluegrass Community and Technical College Campus Director Bruce Manley had a screening. The news was good, he said, and the process was easy.

“The more information you can have, the better,” he said. “It all goes hand in hand with education. You can educate yourself about your health.”

The hospital offers the screenings on the first Tuesday of the month, though they can be scheduled off-site at area companies, she said. The hospital screenings generally attract 10 to 15 people a month. In a recent session at East Kentucky Power, 42 people were screened.

The screening can be paid with flexible spending or health saving accounts, Hedge said.

“We offer it here for $40 which, if you think about it, isn’t much for peace of mind,” she said.

For more information, call Clark Regional at 745-3500.