About me
Miguel Pinilla Vera, MD, also known as ‘Doctor Miguel’ to his patients, is an attending in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology at the MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute.
Dr. Miguel Pinilla Vera provides diagnostic testing and evidence-based treatment to patients who are at all stages of heart failure (weakening of the heart muscle)–from the early and asymptomatic stages to the most advanced situations, in which a heart transplant or a mechanical long-term pump might be needed.
A major focus of Dr. Pinilla Vera’s practice involves taking care of patients by using medications; recommending changes in lifestyle; and evaluating the necessity of using mechanical pumps, like left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and heart transplantation, when medication treatment is no longer an option. He works closely with the cardiac surgeons at MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute, one of the largest LVADs centers in the world, to care for patients who require surgical intervention for advanced heart failure.
His clinical and research interests include diagnosing, treating, and providing long-term care for patients with advanced heart failure and inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Dr. Pinilla Vera is passionate about further understanding the mechanisms of the development of heart failure as well as finding better ways to treat patients with this condition. He plans to collaborate with other physicians and investigators at MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute aiming to discover and offer better options to care for patients with heart failure.
Dr. Pinilla Vera trained in internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and in cardiology and heart failure and transplant cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. He also obtained extensive training in molecular research at Duke University and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-Harvard Medical School, in addition to research training in molecular cardiology at Johns Hopkins. This led to multiple publications in the best scientific journals and, most recently, a scholarship from the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI).
Dr. Pinilla Vera is also a native Spanish speaker. When not accompanying his patients in their care journey, Dr. Pinilla Vera enjoys being a husband and father to two kids, swimming, playing soccer, and learning to snowboard and play the drums.
Philosophy of care
“My family members and I have been patients too. I strive to provide and encourage everyone on my team to care for patients as if it was for me or my family members. When I meet my patients for the first time, I emphasize that I have their backs and am navigating this journey with them and their families; rain or shine, through smooth and stormy waters.
“Caring for patients with advanced heart conditions requires a team approach. I prioritize communication with other members of the team across MedStar Health, but especially with referring physicians, who allow me the privilege of becoming a member of their team by taking care of their patients.”
Clinical areas of focus
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Advanced Heart Failure
- Advanced Heart Failure (ADHF)
- Advanced Heart Failure (AHF)
- Advanced Heart Failure Care
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
- Cardiac Graft Failure
- Cardiac Sarcoidosis
- Cardiac Transplant Rejection
- Cardiac Transplant Vasculopathy
- Cardiomyopathy
- Complications Of Cardiac And Vascular Prosthetic Devices
- Complications Of Heart Transplant
- Complications Of Transplanted Organs And Tissue
- Complications Of Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
- Heart Disease
- Heart Failure
- Heart Transplant Failure
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Multiple Myeloma With Amyloidosis
- Myocarditis
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension
- Presence Of Cardiac And Vascular Implants
- Prosthetic Valve Failure
- Pulmonary Edema
- Pulmonary Valve Endocarditis
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
- Valve Disease With Congestive Heart Failure
Procedures I perform
- Pulmonary Artery Pressure Monitoring
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Sentara Health
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- BlueChoice Open Access
- TRICARE East Prime
- IH-Indemnity
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- IH-Open HMO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- IH-HMO
- UHC Passport
- HumanaChoice PPO
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- First Health PPO
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- HighMark
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- Medicare Direct
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- TRICARE East Select
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Choice POS
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Choice POS II
- Network OA
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- IH-Open POS II
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- First Health PPO
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Navigate
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Aetna Basic
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Aetna Classic 3500
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- MultiPlan, Inc
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- CareFirst Administrators
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Employee Health Plan
- OA Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- Aetna Classic 5000
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- IH-EPO Plus
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- IH-Open HMO Option
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- Core Essential (HMO)
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- Blue Choice Advantage
- IH-Network Only Plus
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- Beech Street PPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-POS Plus
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- Choice POS II Open Access
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- United Healthcare Choice
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- CIGNA EPO
- Aetna HMO
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- CIGNA PPO
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- CareFirst NASCO
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Optimum Choice
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- IH-PPO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- CareFirst EPO
- Aetna VA Exchange
- TRICARE for Life East
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- IH-POS
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- Medicare FFS
- POS OA
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- United Student Resources
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
Education
Board Certification:
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2022)
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2021)
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2016)
Medical School: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (2008)