Ultrasound imaging during your visit
At our Flower Mound clinic, when a scan can answer the question, Dr. Joseph Kim does it in the exam room and goes over the images with you before you leave, in English or Korean.
Six areas we scan at VitaleHEALTH
What is point-of-care ultrasound?
Point-of-care ultrasound, or POCUS, is ultrasound a physician does during your visit, in the room where you are seen, instead of at a separate imaging appointment. Instead of surveying a whole organ, it answers the question your exam raises: Is there a gallstone? Is this lump solid or filled with fluid? How well is the heart pumping?
At VitaleHEALTH, every scan is done and read by Dr. Joseph Kim, a board-certified family physician, with your symptoms and history in mind, so the next step is decided before you leave. It uses sound waves, not radiation, and it is painless.
| Point-of-care, here | Imaging center | |
|---|---|---|
| Who scans | Dr. Joseph Kim | A sonographer; a radiologist reads it later |
| When | During your visit | A separate appointment |
| Results | Explained in the room | Sent to your doctor afterward |
| Scope | Focused on one question | A complete study of the area |
The two work together. When a focused scan shows something that needs a full look, we order a complete study or refer you to a specialist.
How a scan works
Your doctor decides
After your exam, your doctor decides whether a scan will answer the question.
Scanned in the exam room
At our Flower Mound clinic, Dr. Joseph Kim scans with a warm gel and a small probe on your skin, usually 15–30 minutes; an echocardiogram can take up to an hour. Dr. May Kim’s patients are scanned on Wednesdays.
Results before you leave
Dr. Joseph Kim goes over the images with you on the screen and explains what they mean.
Our new ultrasound: the Mindray TE X
A point-of-care ultrasound system built for scanning at the bedside. It sits on a rolling cart, so it comes to your exam room instead of you going to it.
A large touchscreen
A 23.8-inch HD screen that turns toward you, so you can see the images while Dr. Joseph Kim explains them.
A probe for each area
A high-frequency probe for fine detail in the thyroid, carotid arteries and joints, a curved probe that sees deeper for the liver, gallbladder and aorta, and a small cardiac probe that looks at the heart between the ribs.
Color Doppler
Shows blood flow in color on the screen: through the heart’s valves, in the carotid arteries and in the tissue being scanned.
Cash prices
- Ultrasound, per areaHeart (echocardiogram), carotid arteries, thyroid & neck, liver & gallbladder, aorta, or one joint or soft-tissue area$99 + office visit
Without insurance, each area scanned is $99, added to your office visit. With insurance, we bill your plan when a scan is medically needed and check your coverage first.
Accepted insurance and cash pricesUltrasound questions
Is ultrasound safe?
Yes. Ultrasound uses sound waves, not radiation. It is painless and safe to repeat when needed.
Who does the scan, and where?
Dr. Joseph Kim, a board-certified family physician, does and reads every ultrasound, at our Flower Mound clinic only. If Dr. May Kim is your doctor, your scan is on a Wednesday. If you are usually seen in Carrollton, we schedule your scan at Flower Mound.
Can I come in just for a scan?
Ultrasound is done as part of a visit with your doctor, who decides whether a scan will answer your question. Book a visit and tell us what you would like checked.
Will my insurance cover it?
When a scan is medically needed for a symptom or an abnormal finding, we bill your plan, and we check your coverage first. Without insurance, each area scanned is $99, plus the office visit.
Do I need to prepare?
For a liver and gallbladder scan, no food for 8 hours beforehand, and it helps for an aorta scan too. Water and your regular medications are fine. Heart, carotid, thyroid and joint scans need no preparation; for an echocardiogram, a two-piece outfit is easiest.
Should I get a carotid scan to check my stroke risk?
We scan the carotid arteries when there is a reason: brief stroke-like symptoms, a sound in the neck, or a known narrowing to follow. For adults without symptoms, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises against routine carotid screening, because false alarms can lead to unneeded tests and procedures.
Related care
- Annual physicalsOnce a year, the full picture and a plan for the next twelve months.
- Insurance & cash pricesAetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare and our self-pay prices.
- Preventive tests & lab panelsAnnual bloodwork, cancer marker panels and hormone testing, drawn on site.
- Korean-speaking family doctorsDr. May Kim and Dr. Joseph Kim, fluent in Korean and English.