Calcium score vs CT angiogram: two different tests
Calcium scoring measures calcified plaque without contrast. Coronary CT angiography uses contrast to assess the arteries, including narrowing.
“Heart scan” can describe different exams. Confirm the exact test on your clinician’s order and ask for a quote using its billing code. Price alone cannot tell you which test is being offered or which test you need.
Nobody has medically reviewed this page. CalciumCT.com is a directory of published cash prices. We do not perform scans, read scans, employ clinicians, or practice medicine in any state. How our guides are written.
The two codes
CPT 75571
Coronary calcium scan
- No contrast dye
- No contrast IV; follow the facility's preparation instructions
- A few minutes on the table
- Reports an Agatston score
- Median price recorded in this directory: $113
CPT 75574
Coronary CT angiogram (CCTA)
- Contrast dye through an IV
- Often a heart-rate-lowering medication first
- Longer appointment, more prep
- Shows the artery lumen and soft plaque
- Request a separate, complete price quote
What each one can and cannot see
A calcium scan measures calcified plaque. That is its whole job. It gives you a number representing how much calcium is in your coronary arteries, which is a well-studied marker of how much atherosclerosis you have accumulated. It cannot see soft, non-calcified plaque, and it does not tell you whether any particular artery is narrowed.
A CT angiogram uses dye to light up the inside of the arteries, so it can show narrowing and can see soft plaque. It answers a different question — roughly, “is something blocking this artery?” rather than “how much plaque have I built up?”
They are not better and worse versions of the same test. A calcium scan is a risk-stratification tool. A CT angiogram is closer to a diagnostic study, and it may be ordered to investigate symptoms or other clinical findings. ACR/RSNA cardiac-test comparison.
What each one costs
For CPT 75571, the median of the 594 prices currently recorded in this directory is $113. Only 117 of them have been confirmed by phone. They are not a national sample or a guaranteed quote. The distribution and limitations are here.
We have not collected comparable CPT 75574 prices. Ask the facility for a written estimate identifying the exam, interpretation and additional charges. If a quote lists multiple tests, have the facility explain what will be performed and billed before booking.
How to get the right one
Ask by code, not by name.
“What is your self-pay price for CPT 75571, coronary calcium scoring — the non-contrast one?”
Confirm that the exam matches your clinician’s order before scheduling.
Two more things worth confirming on the same call:
- whether the price includes the radiologist’s read
- whether they need an order from a clinician first
Which one do you actually want?
That is genuinely a question for the clinician ordering it, and this page is not going to pretend otherwise.
The short version: a calcium scan is the one usually discussed for people without symptoms who want to know where they stand on cardiovascular risk. A CT angiogram is usually ordered when there are symptoms to explain. If you have chest pain, that is a conversation to have with a doctor now, not a test to shop for on price.
Follow the facility’s preparation instructions, including restrictions on food, caffeine or medications. See ACR/RSNA calcium-scoring guidance and coronary CT angiography guidance.
What your calcium score means · Calcium score vs a stress test · Calcium on a chest CT · Incidental findings · What a calcium scan costs · Find a scan near you
Last updated .