Mito Exclusive

Introducing the Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan at Mito: Know Your Heart Attack Risk

Know your heart attack risk from your own arteries. The Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan is a quick, no-needle CT scan that shows whether calcified plaque is building in your heart arteries. A higher score means a higher chance of a heart attack.

Published

October 2, 2026

Read time

9 min read

Medically reviewed by

Rhonda Collins, FNP-C

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Mito now offers the Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Scan. It is a quick CT scan of your heart, with no needles and no contrast dye, that shows whether hardened plaque has started to build in your coronary arteries. You can order it without a referral, get scanned at a partner hospital or imaging center near you, and see your report in your Mito dashboard next to your lab results.

The scan costs $249.00 for Mito members (membership is $9/month) and $348.60 without membership. There is no separate draw, center, or order fee. It is available in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and you can pay with your HSA or FSA card.

Why we added a heart scan

Blood tests tell you about the things that drive heart disease. Your ApoB, Lp(a), LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, and inflammation markers all describe risk. They do not tell you whether that risk has already left a mark on your arteries.

A CAC scan does. It looks directly at the walls of the coronary arteries, the vessels that feed your heart muscle, and counts the calcium it finds there. Calcium is a sign of hardened plaque. The result is your calcium score, a single number that turns a general estimate of risk into a measurement of your own arteries.

That fills a real gap in preventive care. Many people sit on the fence about heart prevention: their cholesterol is a little high, a parent had heart disease, a risk calculator says “borderline”. The calcium score is one of the most useful tests for deciding what to do next.

What a calcium score helps you decide

The main reason to get a CAC scan is to help decide whether to start a statin or other cholesterol-lowering treatment, and how hard to treat.

The 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline, which replaced the 2018 cholesterol guideline, recommends a calcium scan for men 40 and older and women 45 and older whose 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke is borderline or intermediate (ACC summary). In that group, the guideline uses the score this way (UIC drug information summary):

• A score of 0: people at intermediate risk with no calcium have low observed 10-year rates of heart attack and stroke. For some of them, it is reasonable to defer cholesterol-lowering treatment and repeat the scan in 3 to 7 years.
• Any score above 0: starting lipid-lowering therapy is recommended, particularly when the score is 100 or more or at or above the 75th percentile for your age and sex.

A score of 0 is common, even among people who look like statin candidates on paper. In the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), 44% of participants who were eligible for a statin under the earlier 2013 guidelines had a calcium score of 0 (Nasir et al., JACC 2015).

Higher scores matter too. In the same MESA cohort of 6,722 adults without heart disease, people with a score above 300 had about 9.7 times the adjusted risk of a coronary event of people with a score of 0 over a median of 3.8 years (Detrano et al., NEJM 2008).

These are general guideline categories, not advice for you. Your doctor weighs your score alongside the rest of your risk picture.

Who the CAC scan is for

The scan is for adults aged 40 to 75 with at least one heart risk factor, such as:

• a family history of heart disease
• high cholesterol or high blood pressure
• diabetes
• a BMI over 25
• an inactive lifestyle
• smoking now or in the past

Before checkout, a 1-minute eligibility check asks the same questions you answer when you book, so if you pass, you won’t be turned away later for the same answers.

Who it isn’t for

• You have chest pain, shortness of breath, or other heart symptoms. See a doctor rather than booking a screening scan. If symptoms are sudden or severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
• You’ve been diagnosed with heart disease. That includes a past heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or a coronary stent. Your doctor or cardiologist should guide testing from here.
• You’re under 40, over 75, or have none of the risk factors. If you’re under 40, ApoB and Lp(a) blood tests are a better place to start.
• You’re pregnant or might be. The scan uses X-rays, so it isn’t done during pregnancy.

How it works with Mito

1. Check eligibility and order. Answer the eligibility check and check out on Mito. You don’t need a referral: the order is arranged for you.
2. Book your time. In your Mito dashboard, confirm your answers, add your primary care doctor’s name and phone number, and choose a hospital or imaging center and two preferred times. The center confirms one of them, usually within hours.
3. Get scanned. You change into a gown and lie on the CT table with a few ECG stickers on your chest. You hold your breath for a few seconds while the scanner takes pictures. The scan itself takes a few minutes, and the whole visit about 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Get your report. Results usually arrive within 24 hours, and officially within 2 business days. They land in your Mito dashboard, next to your labs. If your score is above 0, the testing center contacts you to arrange a call and sends your results to the primary care doctor you named.
5. Plan what’s next. With a score of 0, many people rescan in about 5 years. With a higher score, the focus moves to lowering your risk with your doctor. You can also book a consultation from your dashboard to go through your results.

Preparation is simple. You don’t need to fast. Avoid alcohol and caffeine for 4 hours before the scan and strenuous exercise for 24 hours before, and wear clothes that are easy to take off, with no metal.

What your report shows

Your report gives you three things:

• Your total calcium score, also called the Agatston score. It adds up every calcium spot found across your heart arteries.
• Your percentile for your age and sex, which shows how your arteries compare with people like you. Calcium builds with age, so the same score means more at 45 than at 70.
• A score for each artery, which shows where the calcium sits.

Radiologists read the total score in four standard groups:

With membership, your scan report also feeds your personalized action plan, so your heart result is read alongside your bloodwork rather than in isolation.

What the CAC scan can’t tell you

A calcium score is a powerful number, but it has clear limits:

• It sees only hardened plaque. It can’t see soft plaque, and it can’t measure how narrow an artery is (RadiologyInfo).
• A score of 0 is not a guarantee. It means your near-term risk is very low, not that you have no plaque at all, especially if you’re younger or smoke.
• It isn’t a test for symptoms. Chest pain and other symptoms need a doctor and a different test, such as a coronary CT angiogram or a stress test.
• It can’t show whether a statin is working. Statins can make plaque denser, so the score may hold or rise even as risk falls.
• It may find something unrelated. The scan also captures part of your lungs, and some scans find something, such as a small lung nodule, that needs a follow-up.

The radiation dose is low, about 1 to 2 mSv, which is roughly what you absorb from natural background radiation in 6 months.

What it costs

The price is the same whichever partner center you choose, and it covers arranging the order, the radiologist’s read, and the report in your dashboard. Most insurance plans and Medicare don’t cover a screening calcium score, so plan to pay out of pocket. You can pay with your HSA or FSA card at checkout. You don’t need a Mito membership to buy the scan: it lowers the price for $9 a month.

To see how that compares with other ways to get a calcium score, read our guide to what a CAC scan costs without insurance.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a doctor’s referral for a CAC scan through Mito?

No. The order is arranged for you as part of booking. You give your primary care doctor’s name and phone number so the testing center can send them your results if your score is above 0.

Where do I get the scan?

At partner hospitals and imaging centers across the US. The CAC scan is available in all 50 states and Washington, DC. When you book, you enter your ZIP code, choose a center, and pick two preferred times.

Does a CAC scan hurt?

No. There are no needles and no contrast dye. You lie still on the CT table and hold your breath for a few seconds at a time.

Can I reschedule or cancel my appointment?

Yes, from your Mito dashboard. Your first two reschedules are free when you make them more than 24 hours before your confirmed appointment. Cancelling 24 hours or less before, or missing the appointment, forfeits the purchase.

Is a calcium score test the same as a coronary CT angiogram?

No. A CAC scan uses no contrast and measures hardened plaque only. A coronary CT angiogram uses IV contrast dye to show soft plaque and how narrow each artery is, and a doctor usually orders it when symptoms or results call for it.

Can I talk to someone about my results?

Yes. You can book a consultation from your Mito dashboard to review your results and what they mean for you.

References

• 2026 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia (PubMed)
• ACC: ACC/AHA Release New Clinical Guideline for Managing Dyslipidemia
• UIC Drug Information Group: Key updates from the 2026 dyslipidemia guideline
• Nasir K, et al. Implications of coronary artery calcium testing among statin candidates. JACC 2015
• Detrano R, et al. Coronary calcium as a predictor of coronary events in four racial or ethnic groups. NEJM 2008
• RadiologyInfo: Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring