Community Cardiology Update 2026: Practical Advances in Cardiovascular Care

South Padre Island, TX US
August 29, 2026

This one‑day community cardiology conference is designed to provide practical, evidence‑based education focused on the diagnosis, management, and referral of both common and complex cardiovascular conditions encountered in community practice. The program integrates updates across general cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, vascular and venous disease, structural heart interventions, advanced imaging, and emerging applications of artificial intelligence. Through guideline‑informed content, case‑based discussions, and multidisciplinary perspectives, participants will enhance clinical judgment, improve appropriate utilization of diagnostic and therapeutic resources, and strengthen referral and care coordination pathways. This activity supports clinicians in applying current evidence to patient‑centered care, with the goal of improving quality, safety, and cardiovascular outcomes across community settings.

Target Audience

This educational activity is designed for Physicians, Advanced Practice Providers, and Physicians in Training involved in the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. 

Learning Objectives

  • Apply current evidence‑based cardiovascular guidelines to the diagnosis and management of common and complex cardiovascular conditions encountered in community practice.
  • Select and interpret appropriate cardiovascular imaging modalities, including advanced imaging techniques, to support accurate diagnosis, risk stratification, and clinical decision‑making.
  • Integrate multidisciplinary care models, including general cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, vascular and venous disease, structural heart interventions, and specialty referral pathways, into coordinated patient care.
  • Identify appropriate referral strategies and timing to cardiology subspecialists and multidisciplinary teams to optimize continuity of care and patient outcomes.
  • Evaluate emerging technologies, including applications of artificial intelligence, and their practical implications for cardiovascular diagnosis, management, and referral in community settings.
  • Implement guideline‑informed, case‑based strategies to improve care coordination, reduce practice variability, and enhance patient‑centered cardiovascular care.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    HCA Healthcare Continental Division is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

    HCA Healthcare Continental Division designates this for a maximum of 7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 7.00 Attendance
Course opens: 
02/10/2026
Course expires: 
12/31/2026
Event starts: 
08/29/2026 - 7:00am MDT
Event ends: 
08/29/2026 - 4:00pm MDT
Add to calendar: 
Rating: 
0
Hilton Garden Inn, South Padre Island, TX

Saturday, August 29, 2026

All agenda session times are listed in Central Time (CST)

TIMESAGENDAPRESENTER
7:00 - 8:00 amRegistration & Exhibitors
8:00 - 8:10 amWelcome & Opening RemarksHugo G. Blake, MD
8:10 - 8:50 amKeynote: Heart Health in Our Community (40 yrs in the RGV)Michael Evans, MD
8:50 - 9:30 amStroke Prevention (Watchman and PFO closure)Guillermo Salinas, MD
9:30 - 9:45 amBreak
9:45 - 10:20 amCardiac CTA: The New Front Door to Coronary Disease 
10:20 - 10:55 amInterventional: ACS & PCI Best PracticesMichael Balderas, MD
10:55 - 11:30 amPERT: How It Works & When to Call 
11:30 - 12:05 pmAtrial Fibrillation: The New paradigms our with the Old, In with the NewFrank Mazzola, MD
12:05 - 1:00 pmLunch
1:00 - 1:35 pmVascular: EVAR and carotid interventionsShereef Hilmy II, MD
1:35 - 2:10 pmPeripheral Vascular Disease: PADDavid E. Yardley, MD
2:10 - 2:45 pmVenous Disease EssentialsJuan J. Garza, MD
2:45 - 3:00 pmCoffee Break
3:00 - 3:35 pmStructural Heart Interventions: TAVREduardo Flores, MD
3:35 - 4:10 pmAI in Cardiology: Diagnostics & Future InnovationsGuillermo Salinas, MD
4:10 - 4:40 pmMultidisciplinary Panel Discussions 
4:40 - 4:50 pmClosing Remarks & CMEHugo G. Blake, MD
Hilton Garden Inn
7010 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
United States

Course Faculty

Portrait of Michael Balderas, MD

Michael Balderas, MD

Speaker

 

Portrait of Christine Chizek, MEd, BSN, RN, NPD-BC, CCRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN

Christine Chizek, MEd, BSN, RN, NPD-BC, CCRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN

Planner

Market Director of Professional Development
Valley Regional Medical Center & Rio Grande Regional Hospital

Portrait of Michael Evans, MD

Michael Evans, MD

Planner

Assistant Vice President,
System Office of Continuing Medical Education and EMS Education,
HCA Continental Division

Portrait of Eduado Flores, MD

Eduado Flores, MD

Speaker

 

Portrait of Juan Garza, MD

Juan Garza, MD

Speaker

 

Portrait of Shereef Hilmy II, MD

Shereef Hilmy II, MD

Co-Director

 

Portrait of Frank Mazzola, MD

Frank Mazzola, MD

Speaker

 

Portrait of Ofsman Quintana, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM

Ofsman Quintana, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM

Speaker

 

Portrait of Guillermo Salinas, MD0

Guillermo Salinas, MD0

Course Director

 

Portrait of Danielle M. Stone, MD

Deanna Yamamura, MD

Speaker

 

Portrait of James Stone, MD

James Stone, MD

Speaker

 

Portrait of David Yardley, MD

David Yardley, MD

Speaker

 

Speaker(s)

Julia Bender

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.

Accreditation: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of HCA Healthcare Continental Division and Texas Heart Partners. HCA Healthcare Continental Division is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

Credit Designation: The HCA Healthcare Continental Division designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 7.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Commercial Support:  This Activity was developed without support from any ineligible company.*The ACCME defines ineligible companies as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Note: The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be commercial interests – unless the provider of clinical services is owned, or controlled by, and ACCME defined ineligible company.

Disclosure: The HCA Healthcare Continental Division is committed to providing CME that is balanced, objective, and evidenced-based. In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education Standards for Integrity and Independence all parties involved in content development are required to disclose all conflicts of interest with ACCME defined ineligible companies. The HCA Healthcare Continental Division has identified, reviewed, and mitigated all conflicts of interest that speakers, authors, course directors, planners, peer reviewers, or relevant staff disclose prior to the delivery of any educational activity. All of the relevant financial relationships listed for this individual have been mitigated. None of the planners, faculty, and those in control of this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. 

Available Credit

  • 7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    HCA Healthcare Continental Division is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

    HCA Healthcare Continental Division designates this for a maximum of 7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • 7.00 Attendance
Please login or register to take this course.

Activity Credit Requirements

To earn credit for this activity, all participants must have an active CME.HealthONEcares.com account and complete the following:

  1. Participate in the activity.
  2. Mark your attendance via SMS code.
  3. Complete the Activity Evaluation.

Important: If you are seeking CME credit, please ensure your profession is accurately listed in your profile to verify your eligibility.

 

Required Hardware/software

We recommend the following hardware/software to successfully view and complete the contents of this course:

For ease of use, we strongly recommend using a desktop computer to complete this course. The following desktop web browsers are compatible with our system:

Desktop: Chrome, Internet Explorer, MS Edge, Safari

While not recommended, if you are familiar with completing courses online you may complete this course using a mobile device. For those wishing to complete this activity on Mobile, the following systems are recommended:

Apple iPhones and iPad devices on iOS 10 or later
Android phones and tablets on Android OS 4.4 or later using the supported web browsers listed above.

If you encounter any issues while accessing our courses, please contact [email protected]