Everything You Need
to Know.

No referral is required. BlackPoint Diagnostics operates as a direct-access diagnostic service. You can book any scan online at any time without a physician order. If your doctor has recommended a specific study, we can accommodate that request — but it is never a prerequisite.

Book directly on our website by selecting your scan, choosing a date and time, and completing the intake form. You will receive an immediate confirmation email with your appointment details, preparation instructions, and the sonographer's contact information. Same-week appointments are frequently available. If you have questions before booking, call (207) 409-7797 or email us at emanuel@blackpointdiagnostics.com.

Most studies are performed at our Falmouth imaging center on US Route 1. We serve Southern Maine, including Brunswick, Bath, Topsham, Freeport, Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth, Harpswell, Lewiston, Auburn, Saco, Biddeford, Kennebunk, and surrounding communities. Studies are performed at our Falmouth imaging center you choose.

Individual scans typically take 30–60 minutes depending on the study type. An echocardiogram runs approximately 45–60 minutes. Carotid, AAA, and arterial/venous studies each take 30–45 minutes. Package visits (multiple scans in one appointment) are scheduled for 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on what is included. You will know the expected duration when you book.

Yes. We ask for at least 48 hours' notice for cancellations or reschedules so we can offer your slot to another patient. You can manage your appointment directly through Acuity using the link in your confirmation email, or call (207) 409-7797 and we will take care of it for you.

No special preparation is needed for a standard transthoracic echocardiogram. Continue all medications as prescribed. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that allows easy access to the chest. Avoid heavy exercise in the 2 hours before your appointment. You may eat and drink normally. The room should have a flat surface (bed, couch, or recliner) for you to lie on during the scan.

No fasting required. Wear a shirt with a low or open neckline — or one that can be pulled aside — so the sonographer can access both sides of your neck. Avoid wearing necklaces. The scan is performed while you lie flat with a pillow under your shoulders to extend the neck slightly. No dietary restrictions apply.

This scan requires fasting for 4 hours before your appointment. Gas in the digestive tract can obstruct the view of the aorta, so avoiding food before the study significantly improves image quality. Water and medications may be taken as usual. Wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows access to your abdomen.

No fasting required. Wear or bring loose shorts or athletic pants that can be rolled above the knee. For venous studies, you will be asked to stand briefly during part of the exam. Avoid tight compression stockings on the day of the scan. Continue all medications normally. The scan will assess both legs from groin to ankle.

Fasting for 4 hours is recommended. Bowel gas is the primary obstacle to renal artery imaging, so limiting food intake beforehand significantly improves scan quality. Medications and water may be taken as normal. Wear comfortable clothing that allows access to your abdomen and sides. Inform the sonographer of any medications for blood pressure or kidney function.

No. Ultrasound imaging is completely non-invasive and painless. A small amount of water-based gel is applied to the skin to improve sound wave conduction, and a transducer is gently moved over the surface. You may feel mild pressure in some areas, but nothing sharp or uncomfortable. There is no radiation involved.

All scans are performed by a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) and Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT). This is a dual credential held by fewer than 15% of registered sonographers nationally. Every image set is then interpreted by Dr. Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, FACC, FASE, a board-certified cardiologist with fellowship training in echocardiography.

Your sonographer will not provide a formal diagnosis during the scan — that interpretation is performed by the cardiologist after a full review of all images. However, your sonographer may briefly orient you to what is being seen on-screen during the study. The formal written report from the cardiologist is delivered within 24–48 hours.

BlackPoint uses portable ultrasound equipment — the same class used in clinical cardiology departments and vascular labs. The equipment supports full Doppler imaging (spectral, color, and power Doppler), M-mode, and 2D imaging with strain analysis capabilities. All systems are maintained and calibrated to rigorous clinical quality standards.

Results are delivered within 24–48 hours in the form of a written cardiologist report. The report is sent directly to you via secure digital delivery. You will also receive a plain-language summary so the findings are clearly understandable without a medical background.

Your report includes a complete structured interpretation by Dr. Gandelman covering all measured parameters, normal ranges, identified findings, and a clinical impression from the cardiologist. For echocardiograms this includes ejection fraction, valve assessments, wall motion analysis, and chamber measurements. Vascular reports include stenosis percentages, velocity measurements, plaque characterization, and suggested follow-up timing.

Yes, and we encourage it. Your report is a formal medical document that your primary care physician, cardiologist, or specialist can use to guide clinical decisions. Findings that need attention are worth taking to your physician promptly. A cardiologist consultation with Dr. Gandelman can be booked separately to review your results.

Most results come in your written report within 24 to 48 hours, signed by the cardiologist, for you and your own doctor to go over. A few findings should not wait that long, so a written plan covers them. If a finding needs care the same day, you get a phone call the same day with the next step the cardiologist directs, and your named doctor is called too. If it needs attention soon, you get a phone call within one business day, before your report arrives. During the scan, the sonographer shows you what you are looking at; only the cardiologist says what it means.

Yes. Each scan here is the complete study a doctor would order from a hospital lab: a full ultrasound of the heart, both sides of the neck along its length, and the main artery in the abdomen measured at the top, middle and bottom. The same registered sonographer does every scan, and a board-certified cardiologist reads every one in his IAC-accredited lab. BlackPoint is a cardiac and vascular imaging center: beyond these three scans, we also do leg vein, leg artery and kidney artery studies, each a complete study with its own written protocol.

The scans are done on a full diagnostic ultrasound system, the Mindray MX7. It is portable rather than a large cart, but it takes the same pictures and blood-flow measurements a hospital heart and vascular lab takes. Every study follows a written protocol built to IAC standards, the standards hospital heart and vascular labs are accredited against.

All of them, each written as a number next to its normal range: the size of each of the four chambers, the thickness of the walls, how fast blood moves through each of the four valves and the pressure across it, whether each valve leaks, and the ejection fraction, the share of blood the heart pushes out with each beat. The cardiologist adds his findings and a signed conclusion.

For each side separately. Blood speed is measured at set points along each artery; where an artery narrows, blood speeds up through it. If plaque narrows an artery, the cardiologist grades it with standard criteria as a range: less than 50%, 50 to 69%, or 70% or more. It is a range, not one exact number, because that is how the standard criteria work. The report also says where any plaque is and what it looks like, for example soft or calcified.

IMT stands for intima-media thickness: the thickness of the wall of the carotid artery in the neck. It is measured in millimeters on each side, on the far wall of the artery just below where it divides, and written in your neck scan report.

The aorta is the body's main artery. In the abdomen it is measured from the outer wall to the outer wall, at the top, middle and bottom, in centimeters. The report gives each measurement and the widest point. The two arteries it divides into are checked too. This scan needs 4 hours without food beforehand; water is fine.

An EKG records the heart's electrical signal with stickers on the chest. It checks that the beat is regular, but it does not show the heart. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. It shows the heart moving, its chambers, walls and valves, and measures each of them. Our visit includes a full echocardiogram, not an EKG.

A full ultrasound of the heart, not an EKG. Both sides of the neck, scanned along their length. A report with every measurement and its normal range. A reading by a board-certified cardiologist. And your scans kept on file, so next year can be compared.

Each individual scan is $397 in Falmouth, all-inclusive. This covers the sonographer visit, the full scan, and the written cardiologist-reviewed report. There are no additional fees, no facility charges, and no surprise billing. Multi-scan packages start at $697 for two scans and offer savings over individual pricing.

BlackPoint Diagnostics is a private-pay, out-of-network service and does not bill insurance directly. However, HSA (Health Savings Account) and FSA (Flexible Spending Account) funds are accepted for payment, as cardiovascular diagnostic imaging qualifies as a medical expense under IRS guidelines. Many patients find that the $397 all-inclusive in Falmouth rate compares favorably to their insurance deductibles and co-insurance for equivalent hospital-based studies.

Yes. We provide itemized receipts with CPT codes upon request. Some patients submit these receipts to their insurance carrier for out-of-network reimbursement consideration, though reimbursement is determined by your individual plan and is not guaranteed. Call your insurer in advance to understand your out-of-network benefits before booking if reimbursement is a factor in your decision.

Travel fees may apply for locations significantly outside our primary service area. For most appointments within Southern Maine, the $397 in Falmouth rate is all-inclusive with no travel surcharge. If you are unsure whether your location is within our standard service area, contact us at (207) 409-7797 and we will confirm before you book.

BlackPoint Membership is $29 a month per person. It takes $100 off every diagnostic study we offer, at our Falmouth imaging center or on-site, with no limit on how many you book in a year. After twelve months, and on each anniversary after that, you receive a $150 credit toward any study. The rate you join at stays fixed while your membership is active. There is no enrollment fee and no minimum term, and you can cancel online at any time. View all membership options →

Yes. Physicians can refer patients using our standard referral form, which includes the requested study, ICD-10 indication, and NPI. No prior authorization is needed. Referring physicians receive a copy of the completed report. Download the referral form and CPT code reference sheet at physicians.html.

Reports are completed within 24–48 hours of the scan. A copy is provided to the referring physician at the same time it is sent to the patient, unless the patient requests otherwise. Reports follow standard clinical report format and include all measured parameters, velocity data, impression, and recommended follow-up interval.

Common CPT codes include: 93306 (Echocardiogram with Doppler and color flow), 93880 (Carotid duplex with bilateral imaging), 76700 (AAA abdominal aortic ultrasound), 93971 (Lower extremity venous duplex unilateral), 93925 (Lower extremity arterial duplex bilateral), and 93975 (Renal artery duplex bilateral). A full CPT reference sheet is available for download on the Physician Resources page.