Cleerly for Individuals

FAQs

• What is a Cleerly heart scan analysis?

  The Cleerly analysis is a thorough evaluation of the presence, amount, and type of plaque in the heart’s arteries based on a heart scan, called a coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Images captured in the CCTA exam are processed by Cleerly software - a set of artificial intelligence-based algorithms - and translated into measurements and reports for review by a doctor. The results of the Cleerly analysis give a patient and their doctor a clear understanding of how much plaque (and which types) are in the arteries. This can be used by providers to assess the patient’s risk for heart attack and to provide personalized treatment recommendations, such as lifestyle changes and medication.

  Cleerly can also detect narrowing in the arteries, called stenosis. Stenosis can block blood flow through the arteries and make chest pain and eventual heart failure more likely.

• What is plaque and why does it matter?

  Plaque is the physical representation of a disease called atherosclerosis. It deposits along the inner lining of the arteries and is made of various substances such as fat, cholesterol and calcium. Plaque, which builds up over time, can reduce or in some cases completely block blood flow to the heart. The presence and type of plaque in the heart’s arteries has proven to be the strongest indicator of an impending cardiac event, such as a heart attack.

  Some types of plaque put you at a higher risk of heart attack. Non-calcified, low-density plaques are considered higher risk, because they are less stable than calcified plaques.⁴ When a non-calcified plaque ruptures, it can cause a heart attack. Fortunately, non-calcified plaques can be stabilized through lifestyle changes and medical therapy. Cleerly can show you your percentage of non-calcified plaque, and how your plaque has changed to become more stable over time.

• What is a CCTA exam?

  Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a heart-specific imaging test that evaluates the blood vessels that supply the heart for plaque. Computed tomography is more commonly known as a CT or CAT scan. Like traditional x-rays, it produces multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body. A CT scan can be analyzed as three-dimensional (3-D) images. Learn more about the CCTA process.

• How do I get a Cleerly heart scan analysis?

  Cleerly is available via several methods. At this time, Cleerly is only available in the United States.

  To get Cleerly with a doctor that you already work with:

  • Request a referral from your doctor, typically a primary care provider or cardiologist, for a CCTA with Cleerly analysis.
  • Make an appointment for a CCTA at an imaging center. We recommend working with a Cleerly partnering imaging center, so they can help send your scan results to Cleerly for analysis.

   

  Cleerly will then share your scan results with your doctor who can help you determine the best next steps for treatment.

  To get Cleerly without a doctor referral, we recommend using our virtual cardiology partner, Heartbeat Health. Heartbeat Health can provide you with a referral, help you find an imaging center and review your results with you via telehealth.

• How much does Cleerly cost?

  Cleerly is a new heart test and is not yet fully covered by insurance. We are working to standardize prices for our test across the country, but currently the price can vary from provider to provider. We recommend speaking directly to your doctor and imaging center to understand the cost of a CCTA and Cleerly analysis. If you have heart disease symptoms, you may be able to get portions of your heart scan covered by your insurance.

• How does Cleerly compare to other heart disease tests?

  Many tests that providers currently use for coronary artery disease (a type of heart disease) prevention, such as tests for high cholesterol, tests for high blood pressure or stress tests, do not actually identify the presence of heart disease, but look for potential symptoms or the presence of risk factors (like elevated cholesterol). 70% of patients who have a heart attack are considered “low-risk” for heart disease by these standard measures,⁵ and over 90% of stress tests come back with normal results.⁶

  If a doctor believes a patient has a high risk of heart disease, due to family history, symptoms or other clinical risk factors, the doctor may recommend a patient get a more invasive test, such as a coronary angiography. Less than 38% of people who undergo this test actually have coronary artery disease.⁷ This test can be expensive and painful, and while at times necessary, it is not always the best next step for an individual with high heart disease risk.

  Cleerly was founded by a clinical researcher who believed there was a better way to accurately and efficiently diagnose heart disease. Cleerly analyzes CCTA results, which are from a non-invasive and highly accurate heart scan,⁸ and creates a detailed report to ensure that doctors and patients understand heart disease risk after just one test. If there is a serious issue shown on the CCTA results, then doctors can use the information from the Cleerly analysis to determine how to best proceed for the patient’s health and well-being. If the scan shows that there is a small amount of plaque, then doctors may decide to avoid further additional testing for now and instead move to a treatment plan to reduce their long-term heart attack risk.

• Am I a candidate for a Cleerly analysis?

  Cleerly is available for individuals who have symptoms of heart disease or believe they are at risk of coronary artery disease, but do not have symptoms. If you have chest pain as a symptom, current clinical guidelines recommend CCTA as a test for evaluation of chest pain.

• How reliable is a Cleerly heart scan analysis?

  Cleerly’s technology is based on over 10 million images from over 30,000 patients gathered over a 15-year-period in multi-center clinical trials. Our proprietary machine-learning algorithms used to analyze the amount and type of plaque are FDA-cleared. Data from six, discrete multi-center clinical trials validate Cleerly as one of the most accurate approaches for detection of coronary artery disease. These trials show that Cleerly has superior accuracy against every current clinical gold standard for heart disease diagnosis.