- Specialties
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Heart Surgery
- Areas of Interest/Focus
- Congenital Cardiac Surgery
- Board Affiliation/Certification
- American Board Cardiac Surgery/Congenital Surgery
- American Board of Thoracic Surgery
- Education
- Baylor College of Medicine, 1981
- Residency
- The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio (dba UT Health San Antonio), 1986
- The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio (dba UT Health San Antonio), 1988
- Fellowships
- Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital, 1988
- Languages
- English
- Spanish
- Gender
- Male
- Insurance Accepted
- 6 Degrees - Transplant
- 90 Degree Benefits - Commercial
- Aetna - Commercial Exchange
- Aetna - PPO/EPO/HMO/MC Advantage
- Aetna - Smart Care EPO
- Aetna - Transplant
- Aetna Better Health - Medicaid-CHIP
- Aetna Better Health - Medicaid-STAR
- Amerigroup (Gonzaba) - Medicare Advantage (Transplants only)
- Amerigroup - Medicaid-CHIP
- Amerigroup - Medicaid-CHIP Perinate
- Amerigroup - Medicaid-STAR
- Amerigroup - Medicaid-STAR Kids
- Amerigroup - Medicaid-STAR PLUS
- Amerigroup - Medicare Advantage
- Amerigroup - Medicare-Medicaid Duals
- Ancira Enterprises - Direct Employer
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Exchange (BlueAdvantage)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - HMO/PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - HPN/EPO (Narrow Network)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Medicaid-STAR
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Medicare Advantage HMO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Medicare Advantage PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Narrow HMO (Blue Essentials)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Narrow HMO (Blue Premier)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Traditional
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas - Transplant Programs
- Care Improvement Plus - Medicare Advantage-SNP
- Cenpatico - Medicaid-CHIP
- Cenpatico - Medicaid-STAR
- Cenpatico - Medicaid-STAR Health (Foster Care)
- Cenpatico - Medicare Advantage
- Cigna (USSA Client Only) - Direct Employer
- Community First Health Plans - HMO/Exchange (EPO)
- Community First Health Plans - Medicaid-CHIP
- Community First Health Plans - Medicaid-CHIP Perinate
- Community First Health Plans - Medicaid-STAR
- Community First Health Plans - Medicaid-STAR Kids
- Community First Health Plans - Medicare Advantage HMO
- Coventry - HMO/PPO
- Coventry - Work Comp / Auto
- Driscoll Health Plan - Medicaid-All
- EBSO - TPA
- El Paso First - Medicaid-CHIP
- El Paso First - Medicaid-STAR
- Entrust - TPA
- First Health - Commercial PPO
- FirstCare (Part of Scott & White Health Plans) - Medicaid-STAR
- Gonzaba Medical Group - Transplant ONLY
- Healthsmart - Accel
- Healthsmart - Commercial PPO
- Healthsmart - HPO/POS
- Humana - Commercial Behavioral Health
- Humana - Exchange (HMOx)
- Humana - HMO/PPO/Behavioral Health
- Humana - Medicare Advantage Behavioral Health
- Humana - Medicare Advantage HMO (Gold)
- Humana - Medicare Advantage PPO
- Humana - National Transplant ONLY Network
- Humana Military - TRICARE
- Imperial Health Plan - Medicare Advantage
- Independent Medical Systems (IMS) - PPO
- Interlink - Transplant
- LifeTrac - Transplant
- Magellan - Commercial and Medicaid Behavioral Health
- Molina - Commercial Exchange
- Molina - Medicaid-CHIP
- Molina - Medicaid-CHIP Perinate
- Molina - Medicaid-STAR
- Molina - Medicare Advantage
- Molina - Medicare-Medicaid Duals
- OptumHealth - Transplant ONLY
- Oscar - Commercial Exchange
- Point Comfort Underwriters (PCU) - Refugee Medical Assistance
- Point Comfort Underwriters (PCU) - Unaccompanied Children
- Prime Health Services - Commercial PPO
- Prime Health Services - Medicare Advantage
- ProCare Advantage - Medicare Advantage I-SNP
- Provider Network of America (PNOA) - Commercial
- Provider Partners Health Plan (PPHP) - Medicare Advantage I-SNP
- Scott & White Health Plan - HMO/PPO/Medicare Advantage
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicaid-CHIP
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicaid-CHIP Perinate
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicaid-STAR
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicaid-STAR Health (Foster Care)
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicaid-STAR Kids
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicaid-STAR PLUS
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicare Advantage (Allwell)
- Superior HealthPlan - Medicare-Medicaid Duals (Allwell)
- Texas Independence Health Plan - Medicare Advantage I-SNP
- Three Rivers Provider Network - PPO
- Tokio Marine - Transplant
- TriWest (via BCBSTX) - VA CCN Program
- UnitedHealthcare - Medicaid-STAR
- UnitedHealthcare - Medicaid-STAR Kids
- UnitedHealthcare - Medicaid-STAR PLUS
- UnitedHealthcare - Medicare Advantage
- UnitedHealthcare - PPO
- Universal Benefits Consortium - Brokerage Firm (School Districts)
- University of Incarnate Word (Gilsbar) - Direct Employer
- WellCare - Medicare Advantage
- WellMed - Medicare Advantage
- WellPoint (Gonzaba) - Medicare Advantage (TRANSPLANTS ONLY)
- WellPoint - Medicaid-CHIP
- WellPoint - Medicaid-CHIP Perinate
- WellPoint - Medicaid-STAR
- WellPoint - Medicaid-STAR Kids
- WellPoint - Medicaid-STAR PLUS
- WellPoint - Medicare Advantage
- WellPoint - Medicare-Medicaid Duals
Please contact your health insurance company to confirm provider participation. For billing and insurance questions, please call our Billing Department at 210-358-3260.
- I have been an integral member of UT Health San Antonio for over 30 years. I attended the University of Texas at Austin on a scholarship to play golf, graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 1981 and started surgical residency in San Antonio in general surgery. I was selected for Thoracic Surgery residency immediately following general surgery with Dr. Kent Trinkle and as chief resident at the Harvard Medical School Boston Children's Hospital in pediatric cardiac surgery.
- I joined the faculty at UT Health San Antonio in 1989 and became Professor and Head of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 1994. In 2010, I was named Founding Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
- My areas of clinical expertise include congenital heart surgery, adult cardiac surgery and pulmonary transplantation. In 2015, I was selected to lead the UT Health San Antonio Heart and Vascular Institute and transitioned that role to Dr. Allen Anderson, Chief of Cardiology, in May of 2020. In addition, I have served as the Director of the University Health Congenital Heart Institute since 2018 and have been the leader of the congenital heart program since joining UT Health San Antonio.
- Honors include a variety of teaching awards from the institution and department including the first ever President's Council Chair for Excellence in Surgery in 2003. I am the author of over 100 peer reviewed journal articles, 20 book chapters and a host of other abstracts and presentations. I am a Past Council Chair and Past President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association and was founding President of the Thoracic Surgery Foundation.
- I am currently the elected president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. I am a past board member and past officer of the Joint Council on Thoracic Surgical Education and aided it its transition to STS. I am a past president of The Thoracic Surgery Director's Association, past Chairman of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and a former Board member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
- I am a member of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, and Texas Surgical Society. I have served as Chairman of the local American Heart Association Board, President of the local Surgical Society, Chairman of the Board of the Dominion Country Club and was a Founder of HeartGift San Antonio. I served as Chair of the 2015 San Antonio AHA Heart and Stroke Walk.
- My most important personal honors are:
- Marrying my wife and best friend, Ms. Sarah Lucero, a top ranked news anchor
- Having four healthy children
- Being named a distinguished Young Texas Ex in 1997 from the University of Texas at Austin
- The UT Health Cardiac Surgical team and I have done more than 100 Ross procedures. I have significant expertise in Ross procedures, which develop enlarging and leaking pulmonary autograft valves. My team is acknowledged for their personal attention to detail and personal touch with the family and the patient. I am a master reoperative cardiac and coronary bypass surgeon and utilize arterial grafting when possible.
- Our team strives to provide care just as we would wish for ourselves. It starts with careful communication between each of your providers to come up with and continuously update a clear plan of care for each patient. We then do our best to update the patient and family about their care plan daily or more often if needed.
- Enjoy daily exercise, time with my wife and family and when a bit of time is left over, will go to the golf course or spend a bit of time in my workshop.
Call 210-562-5378 to request an appointment with this doctor.
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