South Heart Clinic

What South Heart Clinic does

South Heart Clinic is an independent, physician-owned cardiology practice headquartered in Harlingen, Texas, delivering comprehensive cardiovascular care across the Rio Grande Valley. Founded in 1983 as Heart Clinic, P.A. by Dr. Hugo G. Blake and co-founded with Dr. Shereef Hilmy II, the practice has operated continuously for more than 40 years and currently staffs 13 cardiologists (12 plus a 13th electrophysiologist added in 2024) and 100+ support team members. It operates five physical sites — Harlingen (headquarters, housing the region's first in-house Cardiac PET/CT and a 560-slice CT scanner), Weslaco, Brownsville, McAllen, and a dedicated Vascular Center — and maintains staff privileges at Harlingen Medical Center, Valley Baptist Medical Center, and Knapp Medical Center.

Service breadth spans the full cardiology stack: diagnostic (cardiac catheterization, coronary angiography, echocardiography, stress testing, coronary CT angiography, Cardiac PET/CT), interventional (angioplasty and stenting, carotid intervention, aortic endovascular aneurysm repair, peripheral intervention), electrophysiology (electrophysiologic studies, radiofrequency and cryoablation for SVT/VT/AF, pacemaker and ICD implantation, cardiac resynchronization therapy, laser lead extraction), and ancillary device and vascular care. The South Texas Arrhythmia Center and Arrhythmia Center operate as sub-branded specialty units led by Dr. Frank Mazzola. Technology infrastructure relies on conventional cardiology hardware — notably the Siemens Cardiac PET/CT and 560-slice CT — and standard healthcare IT including eClinicalWorks for the patient portal, LeadingReach for referral management, and Provider1st for HIPAA-compliant records release.

The revenue model is professional-services billing through standard medical insurance payors at fee-for-service rates, with pricing varying by procedure and coverage. Go-to-market is sales-led through physician referrals (incoming and outgoing), direct patient appointments (phone and online request via LeadingReach), and a self-serve patient portal. Patient acquisition channels include organic social (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube), blog/news content, community Doc Talks events, and Google reviews. The customer base is exclusively individual cardiology patients in the Rio Grande Valley, with no enterprise or institutional accounts, and ownership is distributed among practicing physicians with no parent company, private equity, or venture capital backing disclosed.

Name

South Heart Clinic

Legal name

South Heat Clinic P.L.L.C.

Website

https://southheartclinic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

South Heart Clinic is an independent, physician-owned cardiology practice founded in 1983 in Harlingen, Texas, serving Rio Grande Valley residents through 13 cardiologists across 5 locations with diagnostic, interventional, electrophysiology, and advanced cardiac imaging services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiology Services

NAICS

Outpatient Care Centers (6214), All Other Outpatient Care Centers (621498)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

General Cardiology (Consultative) (HLAKABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interventional Cardiology (PCI/Structural Heart) (HLAKABAB), Electrophysiology (Heart Rhythm) (HLAKABAC), Cardiac Diagnostic Centers (Echo/Stress Testing/Holter) (HLAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Cardiology services
• Interventional cardiology
• Cardiac imaging
• Electrophysiology services
• Vascular procedures

Headquarters

HQ city

Harlingen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Patient Care Services: South Heart Clinic generates revenue through providing cardiovascular medical services including consultations, diagnostic procedures, interventional treatments, and ongoing cardiac care to patients. The clinic accepts various insurance plans and handles billing through standard medical billing practices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

South Heart Clinic is an independent cardiovascular specialty practice providing comprehensive cardiac diagnostic, interventional, and electrophysiology services to patients across the Rio Grande Valley. Offerings span cardiac catheterization, angioplasty and stenting, carotid and peripheral vascular interventions, echocardiography, stress testing, cardiac PET/CT and coronary CT angiography, pacemaker/ICD/CRT implantation, laser lead extraction, and ablation for arrhythmias, delivered by 12 cardiologists across four clinic locations.

Product overview

South Heart Clinic is a cardiovascular specialty practice offering a comprehensive range of cardiac diagnostic and interventional services. The clinic operates as a unified cardiology practice with multiple subspecialty areas including interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and advanced imaging. Core diagnostic services include cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, stress testing, and the region's first in-house Cardiac PET/CT. Interventional offerings span angioplasty/stenting, carotid intervention, aortic aneurysm repair, and peripheral interventions. Electrophysiology services include ablation procedures, device implantation (pacemakers, ICDs, CRT), and laser lead extraction. The South Texas Arrhythmia Center provides specialized arrhythmia management. The practice serves the Rio Grande Valley with 4 locations (Harlingen, Weslaco, Brownsville, McAllen) and maintains hospital privileges at regional medical centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• South Texas Arrhythmia Center: Cardiac electrophysiology center led by Dr. Frank Mazzola, providing catheter ablations, complex ablations for atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, and laser lead extraction services.
• Arrhythmia Center

Products and services

• Cardiac PET/CT Specialized imaging test combining PET and CT technology to evaluate blood flow to the heart and detect coronary artery disease with high accuracy; first in-house Cardiac PET/CT in the Rio Grande Valley. Intended for adult cardiac patients.
• Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Angiography Procedure to measure pressures inside the heart and capture images of coronary arteries to detect blockages or atherosclerotic plaques causing chest pain, shortness of breath, or heart attack risk. Intended for patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
• Angioplasty and Stenting Minimally invasive procedure to open blocked coronary arteries using a balloon catheter and implant bare-metal or drug-coated intracoronary stents to keep arteries open. Intended for patients with coronary blockages.
• Carotid Angiography and Intervention Treatment for blockages in carotid arteries using medication or minimally invasive stenting to reduce stroke risk. Intended for patients with carotid artery disease.
• Aortic Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Minimally invasive reconstruction of the aorta using stent graft technology to repair aneurysms in the thoracic or abdominal aorta. Intended for patients with aortic aneurysms.
• Peripheral Intervention Treatment of blockages in various arteries throughout the body, including renal, mesenteric, subclavian, and leg arteries. Intended for patients with peripheral vascular disease.
• Stress Testing and Noninvasive Cardiac Risk Stratification Office-based diagnostic testing using nuclear imaging (radioactive tracer) or stress echocardiography to diagnose heart disease and assess future cardiac event risk. Intended for patients needing cardiac risk evaluation.
• Echocardiography Heart examination using ultrasound technology to measure heart function, diagnose valve disease, and evaluate cardiac symptoms, including transthoracic and transesophageal approaches. Intended for patients with suspected cardiac structural or functional abnormalities.
• Pacemakers and Defibrillators (ICD Implantation) Implantable cardiac devices placed under the skin with leads extending into the heart; pacemakers regulate heart rate and ICDs detect and shock dangerous heart rhythms. Intended for patients with electrical conduction disorders or life-threatening arrhythmias.
• Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) Heart failure treatment using biventricular pacing to improve symptoms and heart function by pacing both sides of the heart through coronary veins. Intended for selected heart failure patients.
• Laser Lead Extraction Removal of broken or infected pacemaker and defibrillator leads using laser-powered or mechanical tools to break up scar tissue. Intended for patients with compromised or infected cardiac device leads.
• Electrophysiologic Study and Radiofrequency Ablation Catheter-based mapping and ablation of abnormal heart circuits using radiofrequency or cryoablation energy to treat arrhythmias including SVT, VT, and atrial fibrillation. Intended for patients with cardiac arrhythmias.
• Coronary CT Angiography Advanced CT scanning with 560-slice imaging, providing the highest resolution available in the Rio Grande Valley for detecting and evaluating heart disease with precision. Intended for patients requiring non-invasive coronary imaging.
• South Texas Arrhythmia Center Specialized electrophysiology center providing catheter ablations, complex ablations for atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, and management of complex device problems including laser lead extraction. Intended for arrhythmia patients across the Rio Grande Valley.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Cardiac PET/CT in Rio Grande Valley enabling earlier detection of coronary artery disease

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• LeadingReachcoreTechnology or IntegrationSouth Heart Clinic partners with LeadingReach for managing patient cardiology referrals and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of imaging referral processes and care coordination. The partnership helps streamline referrals between healthcare providers.
• Provider1stsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSouth Heart Clinic has partnered with Provider1st to securely provide medical records and x-ray imaging copies to patients, guardian/legal representatives, or 3rd party requestors with HIPAA authorization.
• Harlingen Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Heart Clinic physicians have staff privileges at Harlingen Medical Center where the Cardiac Electrophysiology Program is led by Dr. Frank Mazzola. The clinic hosts community events at this facility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vital Heart & Vein: Multi-location cardiology specialty group in the Houston metro offering interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and vascular care. Directly comparable as a Texas-based independent cardiology practice of similar scale and service mix.
• Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia: Large independent cardiology specialty practice with multiple subspecialists across general, interventional, and electrophysiology cardiology. Closely analogous model — multi-physician group practice delivering comprehensive cardiac care in outpatient settings.
• Cardiovascular Institute of the South: Regional cardiology specialty practice with strong EP and interventional programs across Louisiana. Comparable as an independent, physician-owned cardiology group with multiple locations and a similar subspecialty breadth.
• Oklahoma Heart Institute: Hospital-affiliated cardiology program offering comprehensive cardiac diagnostics, interventional, and EP services in a single regional footprint. Mirrors South Heart Clinic's full-service cardiology model with hospital privileges.

Emerging players

• U.S. Heart & Vascular (USHV): PE-backed cardiology practice consolidator actively acquiring independent cardiology groups across the U.S. Directly relevant as the type of strategic/financial acquirer South Heart Clinic would attract in an exit scenario.
• National Cardiovascular Partners: PE-backed platform operating cardiac catheterization and EP labs in partnership with hospitals. Adjacent peer representing the ASC-style cardiology delivery model that could compete for procedural volumes.

Broad incumbents

• HCA Healthcare: Largest U.S. for-profit hospital operator; owns Rio Grande Regional Hospital in South Heart Clinic's backyard and employs competing cardiologists. Relevant as both a referral partner and a competitive threat through employed physician rolls.
• Tenet Healthcare: Major hospital system whose affiliates (Valley Baptist, Knapp Medical Center) host South Heart Clinic physicians. Comparable as a hospital incumbent that could acquire or compete with the independent group.
• Texas Heart Institute: Renowned Texas-based cardiac specialty institution affiliated with Baylor St. Luke's. Relevant as a higher-tier Texas cardiology reference center where South Heart Clinic may refer complex cases.

Others

• Cardiac Dimensions: Medical device company focused on structural heart and heart failure interventional therapies. Adjacent ecosystem participant whose technologies are deployed by interventional cardiology groups like South Heart Clinic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southeartclinic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@southheartclinic?feature=shared
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/South-Heart-Clinic-PLLC/100083770183575
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-heart-clinic-pllc
• Instagraminstagram.com/southheartclinic
• TikToktiktok.com/@southheartclinic?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Heart Clinic