WellSpan Cholesterol Care Program

Additional Resources

Heart Health Risk Assessment

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 38% of Americans have high cholesterol, putting them at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes. WellSpan Cholesterol Care Program helps those with high cholesterol understand their risks and manage their cholesterol with a team of cardiologists and advanced practice providers who have specialized training for cholesterol management.

This program is designed for many people including:

Patients Resistant to Statins

Patients with triglycerides (the most common type of fat found in the body) higher than 300 or an LDL (also known as “bad cholesterol”) level that is higher than 190 can find that their body is resistant to cholesterol-lowering medication or statins.

Patients who have had a Stroke or Heart Attack

Those with high cholesterol who have had a heart attack or stroke and are looking for aggressive secondary prevention may be elgible for this program.

Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)

Those who have an inherited condition that causes high cholesterol, called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) may also benefit from our specialty services.

FH causes cholesterol to build up along the walls of arteries and veins from the time people are children. This narrows these vessels and dramatically increases the risk of heart attack or stroke, often at an early age. People with FH can exercise, diet, and take statin medications, but their cholesterol levels often remain stubbornly and dangerously high. They need a specialized approach.

Conditions Treated

High cholesterol, total
High LDL (bad cholesterol)
Low HDL (good cholesterol)
High triglycerides
Atherosclerosis
Familial hyperlipidemia (FH)
Patients with family history of early cardiovascular death or heart attack
Patients with previous heart attack or stroke with hard to reach cholesterol goals, or resistant to previous efforts to treat

How We Can Help

The Cholesterol Care Program can include the following and part of diagnosis and treatment:

Lab test ordering and monitoring
Medication prescriptions and adjustments targeted at achieving recommended cholesterol levels
Comprehensive medical review to understand possible secondary causes for high cholesterol, such as thyroid or liver disease.
We will prepare an individualized treatment plan, with medication recommendations as well as diet and exercise modifications.
Our physicians have access to advanced medications that target hard to treat cholesterol issues
We also will take a detailed family medical history to assess patients for inherited causes, performing lab tests and offering genetic counseling/testing if necessary.

Our program is also available virtually! We can work with patients through virtual video visits and testing can be done near the patient.