Corazon Imaging, a mobile health care startup in Southfield, is launching across Michigan by offering advanced, active, and non-invasive outpatient technology for diagnosing heart disease.
Corazon Imaging seeks to transform Michigan’s health care industry by increasing accessibility to Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) technology, including Fractional Flow Reserve — Computed Tomography (FFR-CT), a non-invasive procedure which measures the severity and location of obstructions in coronary arteries.
The company will bring FFR-CT into an outpatient setting for heart disease diagnosis and treatment options in Michigan. The Corazon Imaging team plans to perform 10,000 CCTA scans annually — a significant increase statewide.
By comparison, 1,200 FFR-CT procedures were performed in Michigan in 2021, even fewer were performed in an outpatient setting. Additionally, until now the technology is only available at a handful of hospitals across the state.
The first location is now open in Trenton, and a Dearborn site will go live later this, with the goal to open 30 sites across the state by 2024. Other potential locations include Rochester, Saginaw, Mt. Pleasant, Gibraltar, Edmore, and Alma.
“Corazon Imaging has an ambitious vision — to bring world-class, affordable cardiac imaging to all Michiganders,” says Josh Katke, founding member of Corazon. “FFR-CT usage is limited in Michigan, and we are making this technology accessible statewide, giving patients and providers in a wholly underserved state the resources needed to address heart disease and reduce health care costs. We’re determined to expand access to FFR-CT and CCTA to improve patient outcomes.”
Corazon Imaging’s testing program is overseen by Dr. John Rumberger, director of cardiac imaging at Corazon. He is a cardiologist and an authority on CCTA.
“CCTAs are a safe, cost-effective, reliable, and more accurate alternative to commonly used cardiac imaging methods,” says Rumberger. “Unlike other cardiac testing options, this diagnostic pathway has a less than 1 percent likelihood of missing heart disease. Corazon Imaging has the technology to identify heart disease earlier and more accurately than conventional imaging, to help prevent a patient’s first heart attack and reduce cardiac mortality.”
Corazon Imaging will launch a community outreach program, working with neighborhood organizations to offer free calcium scoring screenings and education. The first community events will take place this summer with free screenings for police, firefighters, and municipal workers from the city of Dearborn.
“We are collaborating with community partners to leverage our technology and create opportunities for Michiganders to learn more about their own heart health, which will help them make better decisions about their health care and potentially save lives,” says Abir Mehanna, COO of Corazon Imaging.
Additionally, Corazon Imaging offers diagnostic cardiac screenings, including calcium score screenings, which is a simple test that detects calcium deposits in coronary arteries — a key indicator of heart health. A higher score suggests a significant narrowing in the arteries and a higher risk of a future coronary event.
Corazon Imaging states it will operate four mobile routes across the state in the next 18 months, concentrating on areas in the state with the highest percentages of heart disease. Once fully scaled, Corazon Imaging will perform 150 to 200 individual scans per week.
