The purpose of these tests will vary according to the individual patient. Both are used for screening for heart disease, evaluating irregular heart beats, measuring exercise capacity, monitoring blood pressure response to exercise, evaluating the effectiveness of medications, and for objectively following patients with known heart disease. Depending on which test your physician has ordered, here are links to patient instructions and authorization forms for each: Cardiac Stress Test Instructions and Patient Authorization form & Echo Stress Test Instructions and Patient Authorization form.

Are you at risk of heart disease or stroke? Do you smoke, have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or family history of heart disease? We now offer Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) testing to help assess your risk. It is quick, pain-free, and appropriate for patients aged 40-70 years without prior history of coronary artery disease, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease. Cost is $70 (not covered by insurance). Please call us to see if this test is right for you.

Maryland Primary Care Physicians, LLC located in Columbia, MD was granted accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laborites (ICAEL). The laboratory is one of a growing number of echocardiography laboratories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to be so recognized for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing. Learn More.