In cases like this, the nurse will stay on the phone with the patient until emergency services arrive. Nurses who work in an ECG Receiving Center are specially trained in the analysis of complex cardiac arrhythmias. Many have been trained on the critical care units of hospitals, and all follow a set of protocols or guidelines that have been designed to help patients who are having arrhythmias or symptoms that may be related to heart rhythm disorders. Most private insurance companies approve this diagnostic test when prescribed by a physician for medical necessity. The approved monitoring period is usually for 30 days, but additional periods may be approved if requested by the physician.
Some laboratories allow discounted service for special groups or for high volume users.
While cardiac event recording can be a very valuable diagnostic test, the recording and transmission of the ECG over the telephone can be a complicated matter without the right service behind the recording device. As consumers of health care services become more sophisticated, it is important to know what questions to ask about diagnostic tests. The following are examples of questions to be asked when cardiac event recording is prescribed by a physician. If the physician's office, hospital or clinic does not appear to provide a full range of service for the cardiac event recording test, patients need to know that there are several specialty laboratories that provide this service in a very comprehensive and professional manner. The costs are usually the same.