Combined resources will improve cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic care

The American Heart Association acquires Cardiometabolic Center Alliance programming

2025-10-01

(Press-News.org) For Release 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025

DALLAS and KANSAS CITY — The American Heart Association, devoted to changing the future to a world of healthier lives for all, has acquired program assets of the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance (CMCA) collaborative, strengthening the efforts of both organizations to establish integrated care that holistically manages cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health.

The missions of the CMCA and American Heart Association are closely aligned, focusing on comprehensive risk reduction and improving the quality of care and outcomes of patients with cardiometabolic disease. In addition, they both aim to accomplish these goals by supporting a patient-centered, team-based approach.

Founded by Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., under the medical direction of Mikhail Kosiborod, M.D., the CMCA began as a bold initiative to reshape cardiometabolic care. The CMCA was established through the Saint Luke’s Michael and Marlys Haverty Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence, which designed and successfully implemented a novel approach to treating Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and related cardiovascular conditions together — rather than addressing conditions or risk factors separately — providing team-based, comprehensive care specifically tailored to each patient.

The unique care model was recognized in top medical journals, and as health care systems across the country expressed interest in adopting the care model, the CMCA was launched. To date, CMCA members have observed statistically significant improvements in quality of care and clinical outcomes.

“Since launching the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance in 2020, we have witnessed an increasing demand to expand our collaborative team-based care model supporting not only patients, but the care teams and health systems dedicated to their care as well,” said Melissa Magwire, RN, MSN, CDCES, program director of the CMCA. “Our members have contributed substantially to advancing our mission of improving the lives of those living with cardiometabolic disease. By working with the American Heart Association, we now have the opportunity to expand and scale these efforts, enabling us to help even more people live longer, healthier lives.”

The Heart Association and the CMCA have an established collaborative relationship based on their shared mission. The strengths and expertise of CMCA will enhance the Heart Association’s development of a Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Center of Excellence certification program. The CMCA membership includes a suite of clinical protocols, clinical materials, program support for 22 cardiometabolic centers and a five-year longitudinal dataset of patient-level cardiometabolic data. The Heart Association will lead program development, implementation and clinical support for all existing CMCA members.

“The American Heart Association is proud to carry the torch forward toward integrated, patient-centered care for people with cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic conditions,” said Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, Chief Science & Medical Officer of the American Heart Association. “This is a rare opportunity to optimize the synergy between the two organizations and combine efforts and resources for greater impact.”

CMCA leadership will transition to committee and staff roles at the American Heart Association.

Additional Resources:

Follow AHA/ASA news on X @HeartNews ###

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

About the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance

The Cardiometabolic Center Alliance is a national collaborative of healthcare organizations committed to the mission of improving the quality of care and outcomes in patients with cardiometabolic disease. Across its aligned member sites, care is delivered via a standardized, patient-centered, team-based, comprehensive risk-reduction approach based on a novel care model designed and successfully implemented by Saint Luke’s Michael & Marlys Haverty Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence in Kansas City, Missouri.

Based on the initial data, under this model the rates of optimal guideline-directed medical therapy substantially increased over the national average, ensuring that patients with T2D receive care that is aimed at both optimizing diabetes management and providing comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction with therapies proven to improve outcomes.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Chatbots the new ‘doc?’ FAU researchers explore AI in health behavior coaching

2025-10-01

Changing health habits – like quitting smoking, exercising more, or sticking to prescribed treatments – is difficult but crucial for preventing and managing chronic diseases. Motivational interviewing (MI), a patient-centered counseling method that helps people find their own motivation to change, has proven effective across many health care settings. Yet despite strong evidence, MI is not widely used in clinical practice due to challenges like limited time, training demands and payment barriers. Advances in artificial intelligence, however, are opening new possibilities to bring MI to more people through digital tools. AI-powered chatbots, apps and ...

A step toward diagnosing the flu with your tongue

2025-10-01

Flu season is fast approaching in the northern hemisphere. And a taste-based influenza test could someday have you swapping nasal swabs for chewing gum. A new molecular sensor has been designed to release a thyme flavor when it encounters the influenza virus. Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science say that they plan to incorporate this type of low-tech sensor into gum or lozenges to increase at-home screenings and potentially prevent pre-symptomatic transmission of the disease. Staying home is critical to preventing ...

Pathogenic yeast strains found in urban air but not along the coast

2025-10-01

As city dwellers may know, escaping to the beach can provide a much-needed change of scenery or a mental reset. Historically, some doctors even prescribed trips to the sea to treat diseases. And now, research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters provides another reason to visit the coast. A pilot study found that urban air contained pathogenic strains of Candida yeast that were absent in coastal air samples, revealing a potential transmission method. Candida yeasts are a group of common microbes that exist harmlessly on people’s skin and in ...

NYU Grossman School of Medicine leader to receive the 2025 Research Achievement Award

2025-10-01

Embargoed until 7 a.m. CT/8 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 DALLAS, Oct. 1, 2025 — Judith S. Hochman, M.D., FAHA, senior associate dean for clinical sciences and founding director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, will be recognized with the 2025 Research Achievement Award at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025. The meeting, to be held Nov. 7-10, 2025, in New Orleans, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice ...

New AI tool detects hidden warning signs of disease

2025-10-01

McGill University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can detect previously invisible disease markers inside single cells. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers demonstrate how the tool, called DOLPHIN, could one day be used by doctors to catch diseases earlier and guide treatment options. “This tool has the potential to help doctors match patients with the therapies most likely to work for them, reducing trial-and-error in treatment,” said senior author Jun Ding, assistant ...

Astrocyte-endothelial cell interaction in the aging brain

2025-10-01

Aging is the major risk factor for many central nervous system (CNS) pathological conditions and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke. In the aging brain, a dysfunctional or “leaky” blood-brain barrier (BBB) is considered a key trigger for neurodegeneration. Within the neurovascular unit, the functional BBB comprises cell-cell interactions between endothelium, astrocytes, pericytes, and the vascular basement membrane and matrix. Astrocytes lie in close contact with endothelial cells through their endfeet and participate in BBB maintenance ...

When Washington tried to starve industries of loans—and failed

2025-10-01

In 2013, the US Department of Justice quietly launched a program called Operation Choke Point. Its aim was to pressure some banks into cutting ties with businesses that, while legal, were deemed risky from a social or reputational standpoint. Included in the operation were payday lenders, firearm and ammunition dealers, tobacco vendors, online gambling sites, and even escort services. The strategy was simple: If targeted banks refused to lend to these controversial companies, their access to capital would dry up, eventually squeezing ...

Cassini proves complex chemistry in Enceladus ocean

2025-10-01

Scientists digging through data collected by the Cassini spacecraft have found new complex organic molecules spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are taking place within its underground ocean. Some of these reactions could be part of chains that lead to even more complex, potentially biologically relevant molecules. Published today in Nature Astronomy, this discovery further strengthens the case for a dedicated European Space Agency (ESA) mission to orbit and land on Enceladus. In 2005, ...

Parkinson’s ‘trigger’ directly observed in human brain tissue for the first time

2025-10-01

Scientists have, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s, marking a major advance in the study of the world’s fastest-growing neurological disease. These tiny clusters, called alpha-synuclein oligomers, have long been considered the likely culprits for Parkinson’s disease to start developing in the brain, but until now, they have evaded direct detection in human brain tissue. Now, researchers from the University of Cambridge, UCL, the Francis Crick Institute ...

Next-generation CAR T cells could expand solid cancer treatment options

2025-10-01

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, which uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer, has emerged as a powerful way to treat lymphoma and other blood cancers. But researchers have struggled to adapt the treatment for solid tumors—including prostate, breast, lung and ovarian cancer—which make up about 90% of all cancer cases. Now, a research team from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with City of Hope, a national cancer research and treatment organization, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Linearizing tactile sensing: A soft 3D lattice sensor for accurate human-machine interactions

Nearly half of Australian adults experienced childhood trauma, increasing mental illness risk by 50 percent

HKUMed finds depression doubles mortality rates and increases suicide risk 10-fold; timely treatment can reduce risk by up to 30%

ECMWF and European Partners win prestigious HPCwire Award for "Best Use Of AI Methods for Augmenting HPC Applications” – for AI innovation in weather and climate