For Release 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025
DALLAS and KANSAS CITY — The American Heart Association, devoted to changing the future to a world of healthier lives for all, has acquired program assets of the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance (CMCA) collaborative, strengthening the efforts of both organizations to establish integrated care that holistically manages cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health.
The missions of the CMCA and American Heart Association are closely aligned, focusing on comprehensive risk reduction and improving the quality of care and outcomes of patients with cardiometabolic disease. In addition, they both aim to accomplish these goals by supporting a patient-centered, team-based approach.
Founded by Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., under the medical direction of Mikhail Kosiborod, M.D., the CMCA began as a bold initiative to reshape cardiometabolic care. The CMCA was established through the Saint Luke's Michael and Marlys Haverty Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence, which designed and successfully implemented a novel approach to treating Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and related cardiovascular conditions together — rather than addressing conditions or risk factors separately — providing team-based, comprehensive care specifically tailored to each patient.
The unique care model was recognized in top medical journals, and as health care systems across the country expressed interest in adopting the care model, the CMCA was launched. To date, CMCA members have observed statistically significant improvements in quality of care and clinical outcomes.
"Since launching the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance in 2020, we have witnessed an increasing demand to expand our collaborative team-based care model supporting not only patients, but the care teams and health systems dedicated to their care as well," said Melissa Magwire, RN, MSN, CDCES, program director of the CMCA. "Our members have contributed substantially to advancing our mission of improving the lives of those living with cardiometabolic disease. By working with the American Heart Association, we now have the opportunity to expand and scale these efforts, enabling us to help even more people live longer, healthier lives."
The Heart Association and the CMCA have an established collaborative relationship based on their shared mission. The strengths and expertise of CMCA will enhance the Heart Association's development of a Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Center of Excellence certification program. The CMCA membership includes a suite of clinical protocols, clinical materials, program support for 22 cardiometabolic centers and a five-year longitudinal dataset of patient-level cardiometabolic data. The Heart Association will lead program development, implementation and clinical support for all existing CMCA members.
"The American Heart Association is proud to carry the torch forward toward integrated, patient-centered care for people with cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic conditions," said Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, Chief Science & Medical Officer of the American Heart Association. "This is a rare opportunity to optimize the synergy between the two organizations and combine efforts and resources for greater impact."
CMCA leadership will transition to committee and staff roles at the American Heart Association.
