Our Mission: Expert Cardiac Care for Every Florida Patient — No Exceptions
When Dr. Asad Qamar opened the first Florida Heart & Vascular Institute clinic in Ocala in 1997, he was motivated by something he had witnessed repeatedly in his early career: patients who needed a cardiologist but could not get to one. Not because the doctor was not there. Because the system between them was too complicated, too expensive, or too indifferent.
That observation became the foundation of our mission — and it has not changed in 25 years.
What We Are Here to Do
The mission of Florida Heart & Vascular Institute is to provide expert, compassionate, and accessible cardiovascular care to every Floridian — regardless of their insurance status, income, or zip code.
We pursue this mission through a physician-led, independent practice model that places clinical accountability where it belongs: directly between a board-certified cardiologist and the patient in front of them. No hospital system intermediaries. No insurance-driven treatment protocols. No administrative layers between a physician’s judgment and the care their patient needs.
What We Are Here to Do
Physician Leadership — Always
Every clinical decision at FHVI is made by a board-certified cardiologist. Not a patient coordinator. Not a triage nurse acting as a gatekeeper. Not a hospital committee reviewing cost. A physician. This is what physician-led practice means in practice — and it is why patients who have experienced impersonal, delegated care at large systems consistently tell us that FHVI feels different the moment they walk in.
Access Without Exceptions
We accept Medicare, Medicaid, most commercial insurance plans, and self-pay patients at all nine of our Florida locations. We treat more uninsured and Medicaid cardiac patients than any other independent cardiovascular practice in our service region. This is not a marketing claim — it is a clinical commitment that Dr. Qamar built into the DNA of this practice in 1997 and that every physician and staff member at FHVI upholds today. If you need cardiac care and you are unsure whether you can afford it, call us. We will find a way.
Prevention First
The most valuable cardiac appointment is the one that prevents the emergency from happening at all. FHVI invests significantly in preventive cardiology — identifying risk factors early, managing hypertension and diabetes aggressively, and having honest, detailed conversations with patients about the lifestyle changes that actually move the needle on cardiovascular risk. We measure our success not only in the procedures we perform, but in the crises we help our patients avoid.
Community Over System
FHVI was built for the communities it serves — the aging retirees in Charlotte County, the agricultural families of Highlands County, the young and growing Hispanic communities of Lehigh Acres and Davenport, the veterans along the Space Coast. Each of our nine locations was chosen because there was a genuine cardiovascular need in that community that was not being met. That community focus is what makes us an independent practice rather than a chain, and it is what keeps us accountable to the people we actually serve.
‘The goal is not to be the biggest cardiology practice in Florida. The goal is to be the most trusted one in the communities we serve.’ — Dr. Asad U. Qamar, Founder
Our Mission in Numbers
9
Florida Locations Built Around Community Need
25 +
Years Accepting Medicaid & Uninsured Patients
17 +
Physicians & APRNs Practicing the Same Values
100 %
Of Patients Seen by a Board-Certified Cardiologist
What Our Mission Looks Like in Practice
Mission statements are easy to write. What matters is what they look like at 8:05 on a Monday morning when a patient with chest pain from the previous week calls without insurance and is not sure they should bother.
At FHVI, that call is answered by someone who knows our access policy: the patient is given the next available urgent slot, told what to bring, and reassured that insurance status will not determine the care they receive. They are seen by a board-certified cardiologist, not triaged to a waiting list for a non-urgent appointment months away.
That is our mission in practice. Not as a document on a wall — as a daily decision made by every member of our team, at every one of our nine locations, for every patient who calls.
Florida Heart & Vascular Institute’s mission is carried out by a team of board-certified physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and administrative staff who share a common commitment to patient-first care. This page reflects the values and commitments of FHVI as an organization. Individual patient experiences may vary. Clinically reviewed by the FHVI Leadership Team. Last updated: May 2026.