Empowering patients to be proactive about their own health is a priority at Village Heart and Vein. This patient-centered approach has attracted a strong team of physicians, including Joel R. Garcia, MS, MD, FACC, FCCP, who joined the practice in September 2023.

A board-certified cardiologist and internist, Dr. Garcia was excited to leave hospital employment and get back into private practice to deliver the type of high quality, compassionate and evidenced-based care found at Village Heart and Vein Center (VHVC).

An expert in most cardiac imaging modalities, Dr. Garcia focuses on general and invasive (non-interventional) cardiology and advanced heart failure. 

He explains that cardiac imaging can often diagnose disease before clinical symptoms are present. Cardiac imaging is also vital for managing disease and providing baseline evaluation of the patient. This provides a good comparison going forward should there be any clinical changes or unexpected cardiac events.

He encourages patients to take steps to reduce their risk of disease and cardiac events. 

Dr. Garcia recommends:

When patients are educated about heart health, they feel empowered to help themselves. Digital health tools, such as those used at VHVC, help track blood pressure, activity levels, weight, diet and other metrics.

“These tools allow real-time feedback, reminders and tailored recommendations that help patients gain power to motivate themselves to take ownership of their health,” says Dr. Garcia, who notes that such technology should be combined with “open and non-judgmental” conversations with the patient’s healthcare provider.

His focus is always to educate patients so they understand how daily choices impact the heart and how small, consistent changes can prevent major issues.  

“The goal is to shift the mindset from reactive care to proactive prevention,” says Dr. Garcia, who sees patients at the Leesburg location and at the UF Health Leesburg Hospital.