Frequently Asked Questions

---

At Cardiology of Southern California, our philosophy is to provide exemplary comprehensive and compassionate cardiology care to all of our patients to help them feel their best.

Visiting Cardiology of Southern California means you will receive personalized care from a team of experienced cardiologists. We offer state-of-the-art diagnostic testing and treatment options, and strive to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our patients and community.

The heart is one of the most important organs in the body and must be treated properly and with care. We recommend staying proactive about  your cardiac needs and try to live a healthy lifestyle.

Some preventative measures to reduce the risk of heart disease include regular exercise, healthy diet, quitting/stop smoking, managing stress, and controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol.

On your first visit to Cardiology of Southern California, you will be greeted by our friendly staff and given new patient forms to fill out. If any copay is due, it will be collected at this time. Our excellent medical assistants will bring you back to have some basic measurements and questions completed for the provider. The provider will complete the consultation with you and then you will be directed to the check-out desk for any further scheduling of testing or follow-up appointments.

Telehealth appointments are completed using your phone. One of our friendly medical assistants will contact you first to ask for information about your symptoms and other relevant questions. The provider will call you afterward to complete your consultation with you. Our team will then reach out to schedule any future appointments. Our in-person appointments are face-to-face with our friendly staff and providers.

 Consultations typically take approximately 1 hour. Testing appointments can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours per test, depending on the test. A stress test is the only test that takes approximately 3-4 hours.  If you have multiple tests in one day, times can vary.

We do our best to minimize wait times here at Cardiology of Southern California. On average, our wait times are approximately 30 minutes from the time you check in to when the medical assistants call you back. Although rare, urgent situations can arise such as a doctor being called into the hospital. This does not happen often, but if it does we will communicate with you and ask if you wish to wait or reschedule. If you experience long wait times please let the office manager know so we can address the situation.

Copays all vary between insurance carriers. If you need help determining your copay, share of cost or other payment concerns, please let our front office know and we will be glad to assist you.

We accept all PPO insurances and many HMO insurances. Please see our Accepted Insurances here for a detailed list of our accepted insurances.

Appointments are typically available right away! Some testing and visits require insurance authorization and can take a week or two. Please contact us and we can schedule an appointment for you. 

Many insurances will offer transportation options! We are also located close to public transportation. If you need assistance setting up transportation with your insurance we will be happy to help you enroll or retrieve this information from your insurance company.  

We do not have a no-show fee for your first two missed appointments, however, after multiple no-shows, we will need to charge a $25 fee. We kindly ask that if you need to cancel your appointment to please call us at least 24 hours in advance.

Yes, we have free parking in our own parking lot. Handicap parking spots are available as well as a designated handicap entrance for our patients. There is also street parking available.

We offer our own in-house testing which makes it a very convenient facility for our patients. Tests we perform in-house are echocardiograms, venous arterial ultrasounds, carotid ultrasounds, AAA ultrasounds, stress echocardiograms, treadmill stress tests, nuclear stress tests, mcot monitors, event monitors, and holter monitors. 

Nuclear Stress Test: An imaging test that shows how blood goes to the heart at rest and during exercise. It uses a small amount of radioactive material, called a tracer or radiotracer. The substance is given by IV. An imaging machine takes pictures of how the tracer moves through the heart arteries. This helps find areas of poor blood flow or damage in the heart. 

Treadmill Stress Tests: An exercise stress test helps determine how well your heart responds during times when it's working the hardest. It typically involves walking on a treadmill while hooked up to an EKG to monitor your heart's activity.

Echocardiogram:  An echocardiogram is an ultrasound test that checks the structure and function of your heart. An echo can diagnose a range of conditions including cardiomyopathy and valve disease. There are several types of echos test, including transthoracic and transesophageal.  

Stress Echocardiogram: Stress echocardiography is a test that uses ultrasound imaging to show how well your heart muscle is working to pump blood to your body while you exercise in a controlled setting. It is most often to detect a decrease in blood flow to the heart muscle due to narrowing in  the coronary arteries. 

Arterial Ultrasound (lower and upper extremities): A duplex ultrasound combines a traditional ultrasound, which uses sound waves that bounce off blood vessels to create an image, and Doppler ultrasound which records sound waves that bounce off moving objects such as blood to measure speed and flow.

Carotid Ultrasounds: A noninvasive painless procedure that uses sound waves to examine the blood flow through the carotid arteries. It also evaluates the thickness of the carotid artery wall and checks for clots.

AAA Ultrasound: Abdominal ultrasound, this is the most common test to diagnose abdominal aortic aneurysms. Sound waves are used to show how blood flows through the structures in the belly area, including the aorta. 

MCOT monitors: Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT or MCOT) is an advanced cardiac monitoring device that automatically monitors, records, and transmits the abnormal heart rhythm for 24 hours up to 7 days. It picks up the heart's electrical signals just like an ECG throughout the day and night, even when the patient is asleep. The MCOT monitor does not need any patient involvement as the device automatically detects and transmits the heart rhythms to a remote monitoring site. It gives more efficient care as the transmitted information is assessed by a physician who looks for abnormal rhythms as they occur.

Event Monitors: An event monitor (also known as an event recorder) is a device that records your heart's electrical activity just like an electrocardiogram (ECG) but for a longer duration. You can wear the monitor for up to 24 hours up tp 30 days, but it does not record continuously.

You have to activate the recording when you have a symptom. Some devices start recording automatically when an abnormal heart rhythm is detected. The monitor includes sensors called electrodes that will be attached to your skin on the chest.

Holter monitors: A holter monitor is a wearable cardiac monitor similar to an electrocardiogram (ECG). It tracks your heartbeat for 1 or 2 days as advised by your physician. A holter monitor is engaged with your body using small patches (electrodes) that stick to the skin on the chest and abdomen. The heart's electrical activity is monitored and recorded through the patches by wires connecting to an ECG machine.