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WellPoint- Medicare Advantage (Special Needs Plan HMO D-SNP)
Zelis - Third Party Administrator
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About
“I try to treat patients with the same care I would expect for myself or my family.”
I’m an interventional cardiologist and the director of the University Health Cardiovascular Center. With over 20 years of experience, I specialize in complex coronary and peripheral vascular disease, treating conditions from the carotid arteries in the neck to the arteries all the way down to the feet.
I’ve always had a passion for science, and I initially gravitated toward cancer treatment during medical school. But it was a cardiology rotation at a rural hospital in my fourth year that opened my eyes to what I now consider my calling. I was captivated by the critical thinking, procedural work and the power of tools like EKGs, angiograms and echocardiograms to guide life-saving care.
Philosophy of Care
I never consider myself “off call” when it comes to helping patients. I treat each person the way I would want my own family to be treated — with respect, attentiveness and urgency when it matters most.
Favorite Parts of Medicine
Knowing that my team and I have saved countless lives
Seeing patients feel better and live longer, healthier lives
Leading innovations in cardiovascular care that make a measurable difference
Awards & Recognition
San Antonio’s Top Doctors, San Antonio Magazine (2021–2025)
President’s Award for Clinical Excellence, UT Health San Antonio (2022)
SA Scene Best San Antonio’s Doctors, Cardiology (2020)
Community Involvement
Co-founder and immediate past president, San Antonio Interventional Forum (SAIF)
Board Member, Center for Health Equity in South Texas (CHEST)
Hobbies
In my free time, I enjoy fishing, gardening and spending time with family, which consists of my wife (a pharmacist at University Health) and our two daughters.
Video
Articles & Publications
Journal Articles
Robinson G, Heybati K, Hibbert B, Bangalore S, Fong P, Zlotnick D, Zwischenberger B, Sayfo S, Younes S, Ingrassia J, Hammadah M, Prasad A, Hamid N, Villablanca P, Kaki A, Qintar M, Patton M, Yucel E, Yadav P, Klein A, Baddour L, Sorajja P, Moriarty J, Parikh SA, Sethi S, El Sabbagh A. Device-Specific Outcomes of Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration in Right-Sided Infective Endocarditis: Insights From the Multicenter CLEAR-IE Registry. J Soc Cardiovasc Angiogr Interv. 2026 Aug 4;5(9):105494. doi: 10.1016/j.jscai.2026.105494. PMID: 42769534; PMCID: PMC13591517.
Heybati K, Robinson G, Hibbert B, Bangalore S, Fong P, Zlotnick D, El-Sabawi B, Zwischenberger B, Mourad A, Sayfo S, Younes S, Ingrassia J, Hammadah M, Prasad A, Hamid N, Villablanca P, Kaki A, Qintar M, Patton M, Yucel E, Yada P, Klein A, Baddour L, Sorajja P, Moriarty J, Parikh SA, Sethi S, El Sabbagh A. Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration for Right-Sided Infective Endocarditis in People Who Inject Drugs and Those With Cardiac Devices: A Multicenter Analysis. J Soc Cardiovasc Angiogr Interv. 2026 Jun 30;5(8):105493. doi: 10.1016/j.jscai.2026.105493. PMID: 42626085; PMCID: PMC13491325.
Patnaik R, Woodworth J, Choi BY, Fernandez R, Cullen JM, Tsai E, Cigarroa F, Klair T. Addressing Racial Disparities in a Hispanic Population Through Living Donor Liver Transplantation-A Comparison of 2 Eras. Clin Transplant. 2026 May;40(5):e70554. doi: 10.1111/ctr.70554. PMID: 42104581.
Patnaik R, Woodworth J, Kempenich J, Van Sickle K, Daigle H, Petrasek J, Tsai E, Cullen JM, Klair T, Peterson R. Early experience of simultaneous sleeve gastrectomy in living donor liver transplant recipients with obesity - a pilot study. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2026 Mar;22(3):350-358. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2025.11.013. Epub 2025 Nov 21. PMID: 41353012.
Kadayifci A, Pradeep S, Tsai E. Acute-on-chronic liver failure: from definitions to management. Ann Palliat Med. 2026 Jan;15(1):10. doi: 10.21037/apm-25-84. Epub 2026 Jan 16. PMID: 41560505.
Osta EG, Saenz F, Jaganathan S, Thomas C, Tsai E, Surabhi V, Prasad SR, Katabathina VS. Current Update on Nomenclature, Diagnosis, and Management of Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease: Radiologists' Perspective. Radiographics. 2025 Dec;45(12):e240221. doi: 10.1148/rg.240221. PMID: 41231713.
Ghumman U, Lee B, Bigham D, Tsai E. Sarcopenia in cirrhosis: a clinical practice review. Ann Palliat Med. 2025 May;14(3):255-268. doi: 10.21037/apm-24-173. PMID: 40511569.
Thallapureddy K, Twitchell D, Ott K, Pedicone LD, Owo C, Kumar N, Gelfond J, Shankar N, Goros M, Kwok D, Liles A, Ozguc F, Kazi I, Nguyen H, Lawitz E, Tsai E, Rodas F, Landaverde CE, Poordad F. The accuracy of FibroScan, FIB-4, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score in predicting biopsy-defined fibrosis and steatosis across all fibrosis stages in patients with metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Apr 25;104(17):e42016. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000042016. PMID: 40295262; PMCID: PMC12040034.
Kazi IN, Kuo L, Tsai E. Noninvasive Methods for Assessing Liver Fibrosis and Steatosis. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2024 Jan;20(1):21-29. PMID: 38405045; PMCID: PMC10885415.
Kuo L, Kuwelker S, Tsai E. Management of autoimmune and viral hepatitis in immunotherapy: a narrative review. Ann Palliat Med. 2023 Nov;12(6):1275-1294. doi: 10.21037/apm-23-250. Epub 2023 Sep 13. PMID: 37731304.
Crow KS, Poordad FF, Halff GA, Cigarroa FG, Tsai E, Infante IV, Arora SP. Pivoting to telemedicine in a single-day multidisciplinary liver tumor clinic during COVID-19: the Texas Liver Tumor Center experience. Ann Palliat Med. 2023 Nov;12(6):1310-1317. doi: 10.21037/apm-23-357. Epub 2023 Oct 23. PMID: 37953220; PMCID: PMC11198968.
Kuwelker S, Tsai E, Kuo L, Kim J, Van Frank T, Mitchell R, Ramirez R, Guerrero R, Hanysak B, Landaverde C, Rodas F, Lawitz E, Basra T, Nguyen H, Christensen K, Vaughn C, Hinojosa K, Olvera N, Caraballo-Gonzalez E, Pham E, Pedicone LD, Poordad F. High sustained virologic response rates, regardless of race or socioeconomic class, in patients treated with chronic hepatitis C in community practice using a specialized pharmacy team. Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Jul 28;102(30):e34183. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034183. PMID: 37505173; PMCID: PMC10378881.
Patnaik R, Tsai E. Hepatitis C Virus Treatment and Solid Organ Transplantation. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2022 Feb;18(2):85-94. PMID: 35505819; PMCID: PMC9053510.