Cleerly AI Heart Imaging — see the plaque before it sees you.
AI-quantified coronary plaque imaging at integrated centers in Sacramento and Lodi. Interpreted and integrated into care by a former Mayo Clinic + UMN faculty internist.
From Dr. Sahni
A coronary calcium score is a 20-year-old test that measures only calcified plaque — the older, harder type. It misses the soft plaque that causes most heart attacks. Cleerly shows the soft plaque too, where it is in each artery, and whether any of it is starting to narrow the lumen. For the right patient, it’s the difference between treating disease you already have and waiting to find out the hard way.
But imaging without interpretation is just data. The value is what your physician does with it.
What Cleerly shows you
- Total plaque burden — how much plaque is in your coronary arteries, total volume
- Plaque composition — calcified (older, more stable) vs. soft (newer, higher rupture risk)
- Stenosis — whether any artery is narrowing and by how much
- Distribution — which arteries are affected, where in each artery
- Trend potential — a baseline you can repeat in 2-5 years to see whether treatment is working
How Cleerly compares to other cardiac tests
| Test | What it shows | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Lipid panel | Cholesterol levels | Tells you risk, not whether disease is present |
| Calcium score (CAC) | Calcified plaque only | Misses soft plaque — the type that causes most heart attacks |
| Stress test | Whether blood flow is currently impaired | Normal until disease is advanced (≥70% blockage) |
| Coronary angiogram | Inside of arteries, gold standard | Invasive, requires catheter, used for diagnosis or treatment |
| Cleerly (CCTA + AI) | All plaque (calcified + soft), composition, stenosis, geometry — non-invasive | Not appropriate for everyone; one-time radiation exposure |
Cost · logistics
- $2,200 — RadNet, 79 Scripps Drive, Sacramento (~14 miles from Folsom, 20-30 min drive)
- $1,600 — Valley MRI, Lodi (~38 miles from Folsom, ~45 min drive)
- Cleerly AI analysis is bundled into the imaging center fee — no separate Cleerly invoice.
- Cash-pay only at these rates (insurance billing usually leads to higher charges).
- Both centers are Cleerly-integrated and produce the same imaging quality. The $600 difference reflects facility fees, not scan quality.
- Scan itself takes ~30 minutes including prep; final Cleerly report available within 2 weeks.
- Brief beta-blocker pre-treatment may be prescribed to slow heart rate for image quality.
Additional discounts available for healthcare workers, families, and community partners — ask us.
How it works with Private MD
- Initial consultation — we discuss your full cardiovascular risk profile, family history, and whether Cleerly imaging is appropriate for you specifically.
- Imaging ordered — we send the order to your preferred Cleerly-integrated center (Sacramento or Lodi).
- You schedule the scan directly with the imaging center; pay the imaging center directly.
- Results delivered to us as the ordering physician (typically within 2 weeks).
- Interpretation session — we walk through your imaging together: what's there, what it means, what (if anything) to do about it. Integrated with your advanced lipid panel and overall risk profile.
- Plan — built into your ongoing prevention care: lifestyle, medications if appropriate, repeat imaging schedule if useful.
Who should consider this
- Adults 40+ wanting to know whether disease is present before symptoms appear
- Family history of early cardiovascular disease (parent/sibling with MI or stroke before age 60)
- Elevated LDL, ApoB, or Lp(a)
- Borderline or elevated calcium score (e.g., CAC 100-400 — Cleerly clarifies whether there's also soft plaque)
- Metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes
- Prior cardiac event, wanting a baseline for ongoing prevention
- “I just want to know what’s in there.” Curiosity is a perfectly good reason.
Cleerly is not appropriate for everyone. Patients with active symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath at rest) need different evaluation, typically through a cardiologist. We help you figure out whether Cleerly is the right next step for you — or whether something else is.
Want to know what’s in your arteries?
We’d be glad to talk privately about whether Cleerly is the right next step for your cardiovascular health.
Want the broader advanced cardiac prevention picture? See the Advanced Cardiac Prevention Program →