If you’re looking for cardiovascular medicine and happen to be in the greater Chicago area, you’ve come to the right place. Dedication Health is a local concierge medical practice offering world-class care and an array of services to make staying healthy an easy and enjoyable process. If you’re outside the area, you’ve also come to the right place. Although we may not be your ideal practice due to distance, we’ll walk you through how to find great care in your area.
What Is Cardiovascular Medicine?
Cardiovascular medicine is a subspecialty of internal medicine, devoted to the heart, blood vessels, and vascular system. Let’s break it down a bit:
Internal Medicine: A field of medicine related to the study, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions which impact adults internally. Internists attend 1-3 years of school on top of what other physicians typically do in order to become a specialist. They may be a generalist or focus on a subspecialty, like geriatrics, endocrinology, or cardiovascular medicine.
Other physicians routinely call upon them when they need additional expertise.
Cardiovascular Medicine: Cardiovascular medicine specialists are referred to as cardiologists. While a lot of people are familiar with them from a heart health standpoint, they manage the care of all blood flow throughout the body.
What Do Cardiologists Treat?
Cardiologists are doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels—the cardiovascular system. Therefore, conditions cardiologists treat include:
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Heart Failure
- Heart Muscle Disease
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Heart Rhythm Disorders
- Heart Valve Disease
- Vascular System Disorders/ Aortic Disorders
When Should I Look for Cardiovascular Medicine Near Me?
Most people seek out a cardiologist at the urging of their primary care physician or after a hospitalization. That said, if you’re worried about your heart health or are concerned you have a problem with your circulation, you can find a specialist on your own.
What Should I look for in a Cardiologist?
Education: Although you don’t necessarily need to seek out an Ivy League grad for your care, you do want to make sure that you’re seeing a specialist and not a family practitioner for something as important as cardiovascular health.
Philosophy: Find out what you can about the doctor’s personal philosophy. Try to find someone who will spend time with you explaining your condition and all possible treatment options. Ideally, you’ll want someone who looks at total wellness and will counsel you on everything from nutrition to medication.
Practice Offerings: Practices run the gamut. You’ll find very tiny offices with just the people helping you as well as large clinics and everything in between. Dedication Health has a wealth of diagnostic services on site, which is helpful because it means patients travel less and communication flows more easily. However, not every practice has these kinds of services.
Insurance: If using your insurance benefits is important to you, be sure to visit a provider who accepts your plan. Some have requirements that you must be referred by your primary care physician or get authorization prior to a visit, so either call your insurance provider or ask the office to verify your benefits before you go in if you plan to use insurance.
Become a Member at Dedication Health
If you’re here in the greater Chicago area, we’re here for you. Dedication Health is a concierge medical practice. We provide both general care and some specialist care, such as cardiovascular medicine. Contact us via our online form or speak directly with our practice manager Christine at 847-986-6770 to learn more about the benefits of joining or to begin the process.