Which test screens for peripheral artery disease?

When a test is the first thing a clinician orders, its price is the first number you will see. So it is worth knowing which test that is, and what it is for.

The test that comes first

Cleveland Clinic names the ankle-brachial index, or ABI, as the test providers use to screen for peripheral artery disease in people with risk factors. It adds that this is usually the first test done to check for PAD if you have symptoms.

Screening and first-test are two different jobs

The same test appears in two roles. One is screening, meaning checking people who have risk factors. The other is first check, meaning the opening step when symptoms are already present. For pricing, ask whether a visit booked as a screening and a visit booked for symptoms are described differently in a quote. This page cites no published rate source, so it states no cost.

For fuller reading on the condition and its testing, see the MedlinePlus page on peripheral arterial disease, the federal heart and lung institute page on peripheral artery disease and the Cleveland Clinic page on PAD.

Asking how the test is billed

If you are in Des Plaines or nearby, ask a clinic whether the ankle-brachial index is part of the first visit or booked separately. The question that turns a ballpark into a firm quote is whether the test, the reading of it and the visit are billed as one amount or as three.

What a test name cannot tell you

A test name tells you what to ask about. It does not tell you your result, your risk, or your bill.