health and wellness

My Cardiologist Launches The Women’s Heart Health Program

Published

3 years ago

February 9, 2023

New program offers comprehensive prevention services, screenings, diagnostics and treatment for the number one cause of death and illness in all women

MIAMI /PRNewswire/ — Novocardia, a value-based cardiovascular disease care platform, and My Cardiologist, a trusted provider of cardiovascular services in South Florida for more than 60 years, are pleased to announce the launch of The Women’s Heart Health Program in South Florida. The new cardiac clinical center will focus on preventing, diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease, 70% of which is preventable.

Recognizing that women face unique risk factors for heart disease, the Women’s Heart Health Program is designed to ensure that women receive expert specialty care for all their cardiovascular needs.

90% of women have at least one cardiac disease risk factor, yet heart disease in women is often overlooked.Tweet

“Over 70 percent of cardiovascular disease is preventable, and 90 percent of women have at least one cardiac disease risk factor. Yet heart disease in women is often overlooked and under-diagnosed,” says Dr. Abbe Rosenbaum, a cardiologist and nuclear cardiologist at My Cardiologist who is leading the new women’s heart program.

“By ensuring that women receive optimal cardiovascular care, we can prevent heart attacks and strokes, and help women’s hearts stay healthy and strong throughout their lives.”

My Cardiologist is a comprehensive cardiology practice with six locations in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. The program targets women over age 40 with a focus on screening for traditional and gender-specific risk factors; women of childbearing age at risk for hypertensive diseases of pregnancy; and oncology patients/breast cancer survivors.

“While strides have been made in decreasing heart disease, awareness of risk factors remains low among Hispanic, Black, and South Asian women,” Rosenbaum says. “The women’s heart program will seek to reach women from diverse communities through partnerships and outreach with churches and other community groups.”

Women’s Cardiovascular Disease Symptoms Differ from Men’s

Men and women face many similar risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and smoking. But women may also face gender-specific risks.

These include past pregnancy complications, early menopause, breast cancer treatments, and autoimmune diseases, which affect women more often than men. Yet Rosenbaum notes that these risk factors are often not included in tools to estimate cardiovascular risk.

Get More From A Face Cleanser And Spa-like Massage

Women may also experience heart disease differently. Heart attack symptoms in both men and women often include chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, and arm, neck, jaw or back pain.

Women, however, are less likely to have some of those classic signs. Instead, they may experience extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, nausea, heart palpitations and sudden confusion. Women are also more likely to dismiss their symptoms or delay seeking care, and when they do, they are 50 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed.

The women’s heart program will include prevention services and screenings, a personalized assessment of heart disease risk and care from specialists in interventional cardiology, structural cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure and peripheral venous and arterial disease.

“The launch of the Women’s Heart Health Program continues My Cardiologist’s longstanding commitment to bringing the highest quality cardiology care to all South Florida residents,” says Dr. Dan Blumenthal, Novocardia CEO. “This program will both help to raise awareness among women about cardiovascular disease risks and ways to prevent heart disease, and provide women with a wide range of heart conditions expert care that is specifically geared toward their needs.”

To support women in lowering their heart disease risk, the program takes a multidisciplinary, holistic approach. Services will include assistance with blood pressure control, smoking cessation, diabetes management, weight loss and exercise programs.

The clinical team will also collaborate with ob-gyns and primary care physicians to ensure the full spectrum of women’s health needs are met.

Online Women’s Heart Risk Screening Tool Now Available

To support awareness of the unique risk factors that affect women, My Cardiologist is also launching a new online cardiovascular disease assessment tool. The free virtual heart risk screening tool provides an interactive quiz that covers a wide range of questions related to their lifestyle and overall health. At the end of the short quiz, users receive a risk assessment score relative to their likelihood of developing or having heart disease. To take the free online heart risk assessment, please visit www.mycardiologist.com/heart-risk.

ABOUT NOVOCARDIA
Founded in 2020, Novocardia is on a mission to transform the delivery of cardiovascular care for all by building the national cardiovascular network of choice for high-quality, high-value care. Novocardia is committed to putting cardiologists, and their patients, at the center of care by investing in our partner practices, deploying purpose-built data and analytics tools to improve patient outcomes, and enabling our partners to transition more successfully to value-based care. To learn more about Novocardia, please visit www.novocardiahealth.com.

ABOUT MY CARDIOLOGIST
Founded in 1960 by Dr. Bernard Silverstein, My Cardiologist is dedicated to providing excellence in cardiac care to all patients, striving to make state-of-the-art technology accessible. Additionally, our doctors and staff pride themselves on delivering respectful and individualized care to each person, continuing the tradition of superior and personalized patient care. To learn more about My Cardiologist, please visit www.mycardiologist.com.

SOURCE Novocardia

Daily News Staff

Up Next

Northwest Arkansas’ First Robotic Total Knee Arthroplasty in an ASC Performed by C. Kris Hanby, M.D., of Ozark Orthopaedics

Don't Miss

Investigators Explore Impact of Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol Consumption on Black Breast Cancer Survivors

Health

Research Reveals Persistent Racial Disparities in Stroke Treatment and Outcomes

Published

1 day ago

August 3, 2026

Daily News Staff

woman comforting another woman. Stroke treatment. — Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Three new studies shared this week at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) 23rd Annual Meeting deliver a clear message: stroke care in the U.S. is improving, but those gains are not reaching everyone equally. Researchers found persistent disparities tied to race, geography, and socioeconomic status—factors that can shape whether a patient receives advanced treatment, how quickly they reach specialized care, and ultimately, whether they survive.

Stroke remains one of the nation’s leading causes of death and long-term disability. In recent years, breakthroughs in emergency response systems and minimally invasive procedures have expanded what’s possible in the critical first hours after a stroke. But the latest findings suggest that access to those life-saving advances still depends too heavily on who you are and where you live.

Study 1: Treatment gaps widen as strokes get more severe

The first study, “Racial Disparities in Endovascular Thrombectomy Widen with Stroke Severity: A National Inpatient Sample Analysis,” examined more than 325,000 acute ischemic stroke patients treated at U.S. teaching hospitals between 2018 and 2022.

The focus was endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a minimally invasive procedure in which specialists remove a clot from a blocked artery in the brain. EVT can be a game-changer for eligible patients—but researchers found Black patients were less likely than white patients to receive it across all levels of stroke severity.

What stood out most: the disparity grew as stroke severity increased. At a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 20, the predicted probability of receiving EVT was:

33% for white men
32% for white women
28% for Black men
26% for Black women

Co-first author Muhammed Amir Essibayi, MD, MSc, FRCP, noted that timely access becomes even more critical as severity rises—yet the treatment gap becomes more pronounced. The study also highlighted an intersectional pattern, with Black women consistently least likely to receive EVT.

Study 2: Hemorrhagic stroke deaths are falling—but disparities persist

The second study, “Reducing Inequalities in Stroke Events-Hemorrhagic Disparities (RISE-HD): A 10-year Statewide Analysis of Social Determinants of Mortality in Hemorrhagic Stroke,” analyzed more than 120,000 patients hospitalized with hemorrhagic stroke in Florida between 2013 and 2024.

There was good news: mortality rates declined significantly over the decade, suggesting real progress in stroke systems and hospital care.

But after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, disparities remained. Black patients had higher odds of in-hospital mortality than white patients. Higher mortality was also associated with:

Living in rural areas
Having Medicaid or other non-commercial insurance

Researchers also found regional differences across Florida, pointing to uneven access to specialized stroke care.

Primary author Natália Vasconcellos, MD, MSc, emphasized that improving outcomes for everyone will require addressing barriers to specialized stroke systems—especially in underserved communities.

Study 3: The “Stroke Belt” has two different access problems

The third study, “Dual Pathways to Hemorrhagic Stroke Mortality Across the U.S. Stroke Belt: Rural Neurointerventional Isolation and Urban Structural Vulnerability,” looked at hemorrhagic stroke mortality across 433 counties in the “Stroke Belt,” a region long associated with higher stroke rates and worse outcomes.

Researchers compared factors linked to mortality in rural versus urban counties, including:

Distance to the nearest Comprehensive Stroke Center
Community-level socioeconomic disadvantage
Racial and economic segregation
HIV burden

They found the drivers of mortality differed sharply by setting:

In rural counties, longer travel times to Comprehensive Stroke Centers were more strongly associated with higher mortality.
In urban counties, racialized economic segregation and HIV burden were more strongly associated with poorer outcomes—even when specialized care was geographically closer.

Dylan Yates, a medical student at Tulane University School of Medicine, summarized the takeaway: the neurointerventional access gap in the Stroke Belt is “not one problem, it is two.” Solutions need to match the reality on the ground—strengthening transfer networks and specialty connections in rural areas, while addressing structural disadvantage and underinvestment in urban communities.

What to watch for: where the system can improve

Across all three studies, the common thread is that medical innovation alone doesn’t guarantee equitable outcomes. Researchers pointed toward targeted interventions that could help close the gap, including:

More consistent, equitable treatment pathways for advanced stroke procedures like EVT
Stronger stroke transfer networks to reduce delays—especially in rural regions
Expanded access to specialty stroke care and Comprehensive Stroke Centers
Community-level investment and structural reforms in underserved urban neighborhoods

For patients and families, these findings also reinforce the importance of recognizing stroke symptoms quickly and calling 911 immediately. Time is brain—yet the system must ensure that “time” and “access” don’t vary based on race, ZIP code, or insurance status.Source: Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS), July

If You’re Feeling Stressed by Pricey Meds, Pharmacists Can Help

Stressed by Pricey Meds? If your wallet is feeling the squeeze of prescription drug costs as other living expenses like grocery and energy prices rise, you’re not alone. That’s where a powerful ally can help you manage drug costs: a health-system pharmacist.

Published

4 days ago

July 31, 2026

Daily News Staff

If You’re Feeling Stressed by Pricey Meds, Pharmacists Can Help

(Feature Impact) If your wallet is feeling the squeeze of prescription drug costs as other living expenses like grocery and energy prices rise, you’re not alone.

More people are worrying about affording essential medications these days. In fact, more than 40% of adults said they skipped doses or didn’t fill prescriptions in the past year due to cost, according to a KFF Health survey.

People who take multiple drugs to manage chronic conditions often feel this pinch even more severely. They’re also more likely to make more frequent visits to their clinic or health system for care. That’s where a powerful ally can help them manage their drug costs: a health-system pharmacist.

These medication experts work side-by-side with the clinicians who prescribe drugs in health care practices – and sometimes prescribe medications themselves. Their deep knowledge can help people get the most out of the drugs they take.

“Pharmacists really know the full picture of medications, including pricing, insurance coverage, alternative therapies and potential side effects,” said Lindsey Amerine, PharmD, chief pharmacy officer for the Cleveland Clinic. “That’s why it’s helpful to not only count on your doctor to diagnose your condition and prescribe therapies, but also your pharmacist to optimize your medications.”

Get a Comprehensive Review of Your Medications

Asking the pharmacist on your health-system care team to go over your medications may reveal opportunities to save, Amerine said. Health-system pharmacists are uniquely qualified to provide this service because they keep close track of medication costs as well as approvals of new drugs and how those compare to older options.

A full review might reveal:

Drugs once needed may not be as useful anymore. People often continue taking medications unaware that something new could offer greater benefits or their condition no longer requires the same therapy.
Changes in your condition may mean you could safely take a lower dosage of a drug, thereby reducing costs.
There may be less costly alternatives that would work as well such as a generic or older medication.

Get Help Exploring Discount Options

You’ve probably heard about programs that can help lower prescription costs, including discount and patient assistance programs. Pharmacists can help you understand how to navigate these programs and access potential discount programs and opportunities, Amerine said. Here’s how:

Pharmacists can guide you through discount programs your health system offers.
They can check your eligibility for drug maker discounts and help you understand how those discounts work with your insurance, especially if you have a high-deductible plan.
Pharmacists can help you navigate the various prescription cost-savings programs and how they work.
They can also help you learn about patient assistance programs that provide free or discounted medications to people who cannot afford them.

Medications are a vital part of your health care. Before you try to stretch a costly medicine or give it up altogether, talk to the medication expert on your health care team: your health-system pharmacist. For more information, visit yourpharmacist.org.

Why It Pays to Talk Meds with a Pharmacist

“My doctor prescribed it, so I must need it.” Often this is true, but not always. People sometimes take drugs longer than they need to, at doses higher than necessary or that may interact with other medications.

Just as you’d see a heart specialist about an odd pulse rate, it can help to see a pharmacist – your medication specialist – to discuss your prescriptions.

Of all health care professionals, pharmacists have the deepest knowledge of drug interactions and safety issues. They’re experts on how the effectiveness of different medications – brand name and generic – compare. They also closely track changes in prices and know when a drug’s cost has dropped or if an effective, less costly alternative is available.

Health-system pharmacists’ expertise is especially helpful for those with multiple chronic conditions who typically take several medications with more benefits, costs and side effects to balance.

Talking with a pharmacist can ensure your prescriptions are best for you and that you have access to the most affordable options. collect?v=1&tid=UA 482330 7&cid=1955551e 1975 5e52 0cdb 8516071094cd&sc=start&t=pageview&dl=http%3A%2F%2Ftrack.familyfeatures track

SOURCE:

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Daily News Staff