Inside US Heart and Vascular: Cardiology’s Independent Integration Play and When Private Equity Works

Blake Madden
Blake Madden
July 14, 2026

Featuring: Emily Rash (COO) and Dr. Neil Gheewala (CMO of Value-Based Care), US Heart and Vascular

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Is 3-6 weeks really how long patients should have to wait to see a cardiologist?

That’s the national average — and it’s the exact inefficiency Emily Rash (COO) and Dr. Neil Gheewala (CMO of Value-Based Care) at US Heart and Vascular are betting they can fix. Blake Madden sat down with them for a refreshingly candid conversation about what actually separates an integrated cardiology platform from a bunch of practices bolted onto a cap table.

In this episode:

  • The Ares + Rubicon Founders dual capital structure — arguably the sharpest specialty-VBC sponsor pairing out there
  • The “AIR” framework (autonomy, independence, representative governance), and why the third leg is the one most rollups get wrong
  • Why cardiology might be the cleanest specialty fit for value-based care, full stop (no structural fee-for-service conflict the way a hospital has)
  • Neil’s actual pitch to RFK Jr. for a “Level 6” reimbursement category for ambulatory IV diuretics (CMMI, this one’s free)
  • Where cardiology bifurcates in the next five years: outpatient access groups vs. hospital-based acute care

If specialty VBC, physician governance, or the cardiology rollup wave are anywhere on your radar, this one’s worth the listen.

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Navvis partners with health systems and health plans to deliver real performance improvement across value-based care and fee-for-service models.

https://navvishealthcare.com/vbc

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Blake Madden
Blake Madden