How can physician independence, operational excellence and aligned investment come together to improve patient care?
That’s the question USHV explored in the latest episode of Hospitalogy’s Claims Denied podcast, “Inside US Heart and Vascular: Cardiology’s Independent Integration Play and When Private Equity Works” (July 14, 2026)
Hosted by Blake Madden and featuring USHV COO Emily Rash and Dr. Neil Gheewala, USHV’s Chief Medical Officer of Value-Based Care.
Blake Madden, host of Hospitalogy’s podcast, “Claims Denied” writes:
“I sat down with Emily Rash (COO) and Neil Gheewala, MD, MPH, FACC at US Heart and Vascular for a real conversation about what it actually takes to build an integrated cardiology platform versus just stack practices on a cap table.
We got into [their] dual capital structure (the smartest specialty-VBC sponsor pairing I’ve seen), why the national wait time to see a cardiologist is still 3 to 6 weeks, and Neil’s pitch to RFK Jr. on a “Level 6″ reimbursement category for ambulatory IV diuretic visits. Plus, what will cardiology actually look like in 5 years?
If specialty VBC, physician governance, or the cardiology rollup wave are anywhere on your radar, you’ll want to listen.”
𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐒
03:00 — How USHV came together: Partnerships, Dec 2021 founding, and why cultural integration was always going to be harder than capital
10:00 — “AIR” framework: autonomy, independence, and the representative governance leg most rollup pitches gloss over (free strategic gift to anyone competing for cardiology deals)
15:00 — Why one EMR or bust is the loudest internal war in any rollup integration (and, yes, eClinicalWorks won)
25:00 — 3 to 6 weeks is the national average wait to see a cardiologist; here’s the Integrated Care Clinic playbook
37:00 — Why cardiology may be the cleanest VBC fit in specialty (no structural FFS conflict the way a hospital has)
50:00 — Neil’s pitch to RFK Jr. on a “Level 6” reimbursement category for in-office IV diuretics (free idea, CMMI, take it)
58:00 — 5-year forecast: bifurcation between outpatient cardiology groups and hospital-based acute cardiology
At US Heart & Vascular, we believe that the future of cardiovascular care is built on physician leadership, operational excellence and a relentless focus on improving outcomes and the patient experience. This conversation offers an inside look at how those principles guide our work every day.