Serving Florida Since 1997
Independent Cardiology Built the Right Way — For the Patient, Not the System
Florida Heart & Vascular Institute was founded in Ocala in 1997 by Dr. Asad Ullah Qamar with a singular purpose: to deliver world-class cardiovascular expertise to Floridians without the bureaucratic barriers of a large hospital system. That purpose has never changed.
What has changed is our reach. What began as a single physician’s commitment to Marion County’s underserved cardiac patients has grown into one of Florida’s largest independent cardiovascular networks — nine clinic locations, 18+ board-certified cardiologists and advanced practice providers, three on-site cath labs, and a dedicated surgery center open seven days a week.
We are not affiliated with a hospital chain. We are not owned by a private equity firm. Every clinical decision made at FHVI is made by a physician who is directly accountable to their patient — not to a system administrator, an insurance committee, or a quarterly earnings target.
Over the past 25 years, we have treated more uninsured and Medicaid cardiac patients than any other independent cardiovascular practice in our region. We built this practice to meet the real cardiovascular reality of Florida: an aging population, high rates of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and communities where access to a cardiologist has historically been limited by insurance status or geography. We treat every patient who comes to us. That has always been true and always will be.
1997
Year Founded in Ocala, FL
25 +
Years of Physician-Led Cardiac Care
9
Florida Clinic Locations
18 +
Board-Certified Cardiologists & APRNs
OUR FOUNDING STORY
How It Started
In 1997, Dr. Asad U. Qamar, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FCCP sat down in Ocala, Florida — then a community with limited access to specialist cardiac care — and made a decision that would shape the next quarter century of cardiovascular medicine in North Central Florida. He opened an independent cardiology practice. Not affiliated with a hospital chain. Not owned by a private equity firm. Not governed by administrators who’d never held a stethoscope. Just a physician, a small team, and a commitment to doing right by every patient who walked through the door.
“We built this practice around a simple idea: your heart shouldn’t have to wait. And your ability to pay for care shouldn’t determine whether you receive it.”
What began as a single clinic in Marion County has grown — carefully, deliberately — into one of Florida’s most extensive independent cardiovascular networks. Today, FHVI operates 9 clinics across the state, staffed by more than 18 board-certified cardiologists and advanced practice providers, with an on-site surgery center and multiple cardiac catheterization labs.
But the spirit that launched it in 1997 is still the same. Every patient who comes to FHVI is seen by a physician. Every result is reviewed by a cardiologist. And every financial barrier we can remove — we do.
Meet Our Founder
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Asad U. Qamar, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FCCP
Dr. Asad U. Qamar founded Florida Heart & Vascular Institute in 1997 with a straightforward conviction: every Floridian deserves direct access to a board-certified cardiologist, regardless of their insurance status or financial situation. With more than 35 years of clinical experience, board certifications in Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine, and fellowship designations from the American College of Cardiology (FACC), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (FSCAI), and the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP), Dr. Qamar brings the highest level of cardiovascular expertise to every patient he treats. He is widely recognized across Marion County and the broader North Central Florida region for his accessibility to uninsured and Medicaid patients — a commitment he has upheld throughout his 25-year tenure. Dr. Qamar practices at our Ocala SW 17th Street Flagship and Ocala SW 62nd Court locations.
- Board Certified: Cardiovascular Disease — American Board of Internal Medicine
- Board Certified: Internal Medicine — ABIM
- FACC — Fellow, American College of Cardiology
- FSCAI — Fellow, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions
- FCCP — Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians
- 35+ years of clinical experience in cardiovascular and interventional cardiology
Specialties: Coronary Artery Disease, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Heart Failure, PAD
Executive Leadership Team
- Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Chief HR Officer (CHRO)
Laurie Holland
Laurie Holland serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Florida Heart & Vascular Institute, overseeing regulatory compliance, risk management, and adherence to federal and state healthcare standards across all nine FHVI clinic locations. Her work ensures that every aspect of FHVI's clinical and administrative operations meets the highest standards of integrity, patient safety, and regulatory compliance.
- Healthcare compliance and regulatory affairs
- HIPAA and CMS regulatory standards
- Multi-location compliance oversight
Warda Chaudhary
Warda Chaudhary serves as Chief Financial Officer at Florida Heart & Vascular Institute, providing financial stewardship and strategic resource management for one of Florida's largest independent cardiovascular practices. Her financial leadership supports FHVI's mission to maintain clinical excellence and patient access while sustaining the organizational health of a growing multi-location network.
- Healthcare finance and revenue cycle management
- Multi-site practice financial strategy
- Medicaid and Medicare billing compliance
Michelle Stopher
Michelle Stopher serves as Chief Human Resources Officer at Florida Heart & Vascular Institute, leading all aspects of human capital strategy, talent acquisition, and employee development across the FHVI network. Her leadership ensures that FHVI attracts and retains the clinical and administrative professionals needed to deliver exceptional cardiovascular care to every Florida patient we serve.
- Healthcare workforce strategy and talent management
- Multi-location HR operations
- Employee development and clinical team support
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Jihad A. Mustapha, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Dr. Jihad A. Mustapha is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and one of the world’s foremost authorities on critical limb ischemia (CLI) and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Known internationally as ‘The Leg Saver,’ Dr. Mustapha has dedicated his career to preventing amputations in patients whose blocked leg arteries would otherwise lead to limb loss. As Founder and Director of the Amputation Prevention Symposium, Founding Board Member of the CLI Global Society, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Critical Limb Ischemia, he has shaped the global clinical conversation on limb salvage. He has co-founded the first Advanced Cardiac and Vascular Amputation Prevention Center in the United States. A Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University, Dr. Mustapha completed fellowships in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. His personal story — arriving in the United States at age 15 as a refugee from war-torn Lebanon with $80 and no English, and rising to become a globally recognized physician pioneer — is a testament to the human capacity for perseverance. He brings that same determination to every patient he treats at FHVI.
- FACC — Fellow, American College of Cardiology
- FSCAI — Fellow, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions
- Board Certified: Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology — ABIM
- Founder & Director, Amputation Prevention Symposium (AMP)
- Founding Board Member, CLI Global Society
- Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Critical Limb Ischemia
- Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Michigan State University
Fellowships in Cardiology & Interventional Cardiology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine
- COO Cath Lab/ASC
- Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
- Chief Radiologic Technologist
Brock Kreienbrink
Brock Kreienbrink serves as Chief Operating Officer of FHVI's Cath Lab and Ambulatory Surgery Center operations, overseeing day-to-day procedural operations across our three cardiac catheterization labs and the Ocala SW 17th Street Surgery Center. His operational leadership ensures that FHVI's procedural facilities maintain the highest clinical and safety standards while delivering the scheduling efficiency that sets our independent practice apart from hospital-based programs.
- Cath lab and ASC operations management
- Procedural workflow and patient safety
- Quality assurance across cath lab and surgery center
Jenifer
[FHVI CNO bio — please provide full name, credentials, and professional background for this section. As Chief Nursing Officer, Jennifer leads FHVI's nursing and clinical support staff across all nine Florida locations, ensuring consistent standards of patient-centered care at every touchpoint of the patient experience.]
- Clinical nursing leadership across 9 locations
- Patient care standards and quality
- Nursing staff development and training
Rick
[FHVI Chief Radiologic Technologist bio — please provide full name, credentials, and professional background. Rick leads FHVI's radiologic and imaging technology operations, overseeing technical standards for echocardiography, nuclear stress imaging, fluoroscopic cath lab imaging, and vascular ultrasound across the FHVI network.]
- Cardiovascular imaging technology leadership
- Cath lab fluoroscopy and nuclear cardiology
- Echo and vascular ultrasound technical standards
OUR PHYSICIANS
Meet the board-certified cardiologists and advanced practice providers who make up the FHVI team. Every physician listed here is personally accountable for the patients they treat — no rotating staff, no surprise substitutions.
Aalok Dilipkumar Patel
Claudio F. Manubens, MD
David Edmund Ruggieri, MD
Jeveria Ali, DNP
Jihad A. Mustapha, MD
Lazaro Mario Vazquez Moreira, APRN
OUR FLORIDA LOCATIONS
Nine Clinics. One Consistent Standard of Care.
Our Locations
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Ocala (SW 62nd Court)
- 7535 SW 62nd Court, Ocala, Florida 34476
- 352-619-2550 / 352-775-1200
- N/A
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Ocala (SW 17th St)
- 1609 SW 17th Street, Suite 100, Ocala, Florida 34471
- 352-401-9888
- 352-401-9852
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Lake Wales
- 1136 Bryn Mawr Ave, Lake Wales, Florida 33853
- 863-676-6296
- 863-676-6431
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Port St. Johns
- 7139 N US HIGHWAY 1, PORT ST JOHN, FL 32927-5094
- 321-635-8304
- 321-635-8252
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Ocala (Lake Weir Ave)
- 1805 SE LAKE WEIR AVE, OCALA, FL 34471-5426
- 352-867-9600
- 352-867-9603
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Lehigh Acr
- 391 LEE BLVD STE 300 LEHIGH ACRES FL 33936-4973
- 239-369-4088
- 239-369-0588
- Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Davenport
- 405 Lionel Way, Davenport, Florida 33837
- 863-676-6296
- 863-676-6431
- Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Englewood
- 900 E Pine Street Suite 215 Englewood, FL 34223
- 941-475-5672
- 941-473-1456
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Punta Gorda
- 1107 W MARION AVE, UNIT 116, PUNTA GORDA, FL 33950-5372
- 941-637-7000
- 941-639-7576
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Palatka
- 700 ZEAGLER DR SUITE 2 PALATKA, FL 32177-6806
- 386-312-1040
- 386-312-5080
- Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Florida Heart and Vascular Institute of Lake City
- 1211 SW BASCOM NORRIS DR, LAKE CITY, FL 32025-4916
- 386-752-3400
- 386-752-3110
- Mon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Fri: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WHAT WE TREAT & THE SERVICES WE OFFER
Conditions We Treat
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
- Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) & Arrhythmias
- Heart Failure (HFrEF & HFpEF)
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
- Heart Valve Disease (Stenosis & Regurgitation)
- Cardiomyopathy
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
- Carotid Artery Stenosis
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Aortic Aneurysm
- Congenital Heart Conditions (Adult)
- Pulmonary Hypertension
Services We Provide
- Cardiac Catheterization & Coronary Angiography
- Angioplasty & Coronary Stenting
- Cardiovascular Surgery (Ocala Surgery Center)
- Electrophysiology & Catheter Ablation
- Pacemaker & ICD Implantation
- Echocardiography & Cardiac Imaging
- Nuclear Stress Testing
- Exercise & Pharmacologic Stress Testing
- Holter & Event Cardiac Monitoring
- Vascular Ultrasound & Duplex Studies
- ABI Testing & PAD Evaluation
Ready to Meet Your Cardiologist?
Monday–Thursday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Friday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM · Surgery Center: 7 days/week