Life Line Screening

[Heart Saver]

Has anyone had the Life Line Screening performed that will be at Prichard on July 31? Four tests for 139.99. Not covered by insurance or medicare. Checks carotid artery, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aneurysm, and peripheral arterial screening.
Wondering if valuable or ripoff?

[Medicine man]

Heart Saver wrote:

Has anyone had the Life Line Screening performed that will be at Prichard on July 31? Four tests for 139.99. Not covered by insurance or medicare. Checks carotid artery, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aneurysm, and peripheral arterial screening.
Wondering if valuable or ripoff?

Yes it is valuable. It is done by trained personnel. However, if you have insurance go to your doctor and have it done. It will save you $140.

[Journal has Flyer]

Add in Journal states 129.00 and includes free osteoporosis screening. That is less than my deductable.

[HowAbout]

Sure the tests may be cheap, however are there hidden high costs for them to be read by a licensed practitioner? Like when you have x-rays taken and then 2 months later get a large bill from a technician/radiologst who supposedly 'read' them for your doctor. Check the company out with certified state board of medicine. Call the BBB to see if any complaints have been filed.
Just some suggestions so as not to get 'scammed'.

[good]

I had it done in Hiawatha a couple months ago. Good deal, I think. I called my doctor ahead of time and their office said it was worth your time and money. If there is a problem it will show up and they will advise further testing. I didn't have any problems, but I knew someone who did, so it was worth early detection.

[Journal has Flyer]

I did a google search and did not find any negative reviews.

[Been There]

The company that performs the tests is a reputable firm and the results are reviewed by a physician. I have had the tests done twice.

[Mike Joslin]

Heart Saver wrote:

Has anyone had the Life Line Screening performed that will be at Prichard on July 31? Four tests for 139.99. Not covered by insurance or medicare. Checks carotid artery, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aneurysm, and peripheral arterial screening.
Wondering if valuable or ripoff?

Hi,I had lifelines screening in 2006,they told me I was in great shape,but in october ,2007 I had 3 heart attacks back to back,ended up having a triple bypass,after going to the emergency room with severe chest pain.Doctor told me the blockage had been there even before the life screening test!.I would strongly suggest real doctors! Good luck!Mike Joslin,Mt.Vernon,il

[Waste of time and money]

My wife and I had the screenings and recieved our results today. My wife signed up for the optional osteoporosis risk test but I did not. When the tech tried to test her ankle she could not because my wifes heel was too narrow for the instrument and she recieved a refund for that portion of the screening. Imagine our surprise when the results say that I have mild to moderate risk for bone diminishment and my wifes (Test) was normal. Now we do not put any trust in any of the tests.

[Suspicious]

Journal has Flyer wrote:

I did a google search and did not find any negative reviews.

What???
I received a flyer and did a Google search and found plenty of negative reviews! And few postivive ones. I would be vary wary of this company. There is no physician or nurse present for screenings only technicians. Besides how good or ethical can this outfit be if they travel from city to city? A bit carnival-esque I think.

[Patrick]

As an MD I thought I would chime in here to help those in need of understanding. First, it is most certainly worth the cost. The reason an outfit like this is not covered by insurace is because in this setting it would be considered an elective test. Any person in any state can walk into any hospital and ask to have almost any procedure done as long as they are willing to pay. If you doctor is willing to order the tests on their own, great, but many won't do it simply as a screening procedure unless you fall into a risk group. Don't forget however, if this is done through insurance, it is then a part of your medical history and can be viewed by other insurance companies if you ever need to change carriers. Be very careful that they don't look deeper into you health history to see exactly why the test was order by a doctor. They will be looking for pre-existing conditions and a reason to deny you coverage or have high premiums. If this is done out of pocket such as in this manner, all the headache is avoided. For around $140...it is a great procedure for a cheap cost.

[To Mike Joslin]

Very sorry about your heart attacks but Life Line Screening doesn't provide a screening for risk of heart attack. They check the carotid artery for risk of stroke and the abdomen for risk of any aneurysm. Blaming Life Line for not finding your heart issues is like blaming your auto mechanic for not finding the leak in your basement.

You did not understand what you were buying.

[LLS Employee]

As an employee of Life Line Screening, I thought I'd add my .02 here.

The Carotid artery screening, the AAA and the P.A.D. Screening are the three main screenings and have value.

The Osteo screening is only a risk assesment, it lets you know if you are at risk of Osteoporois. If you already know you are at risk or are being treated for it, you do not need this test. Men under the age of 60 do not need this test unless their doctor has advised them otherwise.

The Afib test does not take pictures of the heart, it simply tests for an irregular heart beat.

If you are under the care of a doctor for heart disease, or have had a stroke these screenings are not for you.

Life Line Screening does not diagnose and they do not treat. They are there for information not to be used as a second opinion or as a cheap doctor visit.

Also if you do not want all of the tests offered in the package prices, ask the CSR when you call and they can give you an individual test price, which usually range from $45 -$55 ea.

[Tim - Wisconsin]

This is nothing more than a traveling carnival show operation. They have operators that take your credit card information (up front)and phone number over the phone when you make an appointment. In my case, I was told not to eat anything for four hours prior to my appointment at Noon. I showed up at 11:55 a.m. The tests were being done in the basement of a church, there were no signs telling you where to go to find them and only one tester was present and told me that they were canceling the appointments because the other tester didn't show up due to bad weather! We had about 2 inches of snow Jan. 14th, 2009. All the little kids were in school that day! Nobody called me to cancel so I didn't eat anything since the night before and drove there for nothing. They have no respect for your time and dont have sense enough to call and cancel

[Who the hell cares]

Tim - Wisconsin wrote:

This is nothing more than a traveling carnival show operation. They have operators that take your credit card information (up front)and phone number over the phone when you make an appointment. In my case, I was told not to eat anything for four hours prior to my appointment at Noon. I showed up at 11:55 a.m. The tests were being done in the basement of a church, there were no signs telling you where to go to find them and only one tester was present and told me that they were canceling the appointments because the other tester didn't show up due to bad weather! We had about 2 inches of snow Jan. 14th, 2009. All the little kids were in school that day! Nobody called me to cancel so I didn't eat anything since the night before and drove there for nothing. They have no respect for your time and dont have sense enough to call and cancel

Milwaukee, WI??,,,,,,, long way to drive to Falls City for a test, I be pissed too.

[ItsJustMeHoney]

I was all prepared to sign up for these tests...even had them on the phone and was on hold, when I thought, belatedly, to google them. Found an in-depth article about them and thought I would share it with you folks. It has changed my mind, and I intend to discuss with my physician whether I need any of these tests or not. I had severl sonograms and such a couple years ago, regarding arterial flow. Think I would prefer to rely on my doctor, now that I have put more thought to it. You might, as well.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/zimney-hea...

[Maggie]

T his is a money making deal for them. Your irregular heart beat can be heard with a stethoscope or seen on a routine EKG. As for the other tests, at your yearly physical you can talk to your doctor about them. If you need them he will order them to be done in an accredited facility such as your local hospital or heart hospital or equipped cardiology office. Save your $149.00 and talk to your physician first.

[sandysoul]

I have no insurance and know that the carotid
test is expensive--my Dr. told me so, so would
like to know "something", since there is a family history!

[Debra]

Heart Saver wrote:

Has anyone had the Life Line Screening performed that will be at Prichard on July 31? Four tests for 139.99. Not covered by insurance or medicare. Checks carotid artery, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aneurysm, and peripheral arterial screening.
Wondering if valuable or ripoff?

I had Lifeline screening performed in 2007. I was screened for peripheral arterial disease, carotid artery/stroke, aortic abdominal aneurysm, and osteoporosis. All was normal except I was told my screening for peripheral arterial disease was very abnormal. After the test, Lifeline sent me a few notes reminding me that my test was abnormal to be sure to have it followed up, which I did. I have an arterial doppler performed, which surprisingly came back as entirely normal. Because of Lifeline's inaccuracy, I had to have a test that cost $999! I have heard from others that it is not uncommon for Lifeline to give inaccurate results. I believe the screening is a good idea but unless the results are accurate, it's a waste of time and money.

[Texas Robert]

Heart Saver wrote:

Has anyone had the Life Line Screening performed that will be at Prichard on July 31? Four tests for 139.99. Not covered by insurance or medicare. Checks carotid artery, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aneurysm, and peripheral arterial screening.
Wondering if valuable or ripoff?

I think it was all a big scam myself. The tests didn't take an hour like they said it would, not more than 15 minutes at the most. You never see the actual sonic graphs so I think they just hit the neck area and move the probe around to make the noise of the blood flow! They make the appointment a month or so in advance but charge your credit card immediately and no refunds if you try to cancel. Save your money!!