About me
Rania Kaoukis, MD, is an attending advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant cardiologist affiliated with MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center and MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Dr. Kaoukis is board certified in heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiology, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and internal medicine. She specializes in the treatment and management of patients with congestive heart failure, end-stage heart failure, and ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies.
Dr. Kaoukis provides guideline-directed medical therapy as the cornerstone of treatment for heart failure. She also provides mechanical circulatory support and manages patients before, during, and after heart transplantation.
Her research interests have focused on the use of echocardiography to monitor changes in cardiac anatomy and function in patients on guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure.
Dr. Kaoukis is passionate about using her experience to provide advanced heart failure treatments to rural communities; those who historically have had less access to the care that is provided at large academic medical centers located in metropolis areas.
Dr. Kaoukis received her medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine.
She completed an internal medicine residency at Loyola University Medical Center and a three-year cardiovascular fellowship at Temple University Hospital. She then completed advanced fellowship training in heart failure and transplantation at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians.
When not dedicating her time to providing heart failure treatment to her community, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her dog. She loves to travel and enjoys cooking and preparing Greek pastries.
Philosophy of care
“I’m dedicated to a philosophy of continuous learning. My promise to my patients is that I will continue to be as up-to-date as possible when it comes to the field of heart failure medicine so that I can offer my patients the most vanguard treatments and appropriate care for their diagnosis and health history.
“I approach each patient with the intention of treating them as a whole. I believe it’s essential to understand both the medical needs as well as the psychosocial needs of each of my patients in order to recommend and deliver the most appropriate care. I take the time to ask the right questions, and actively listen to my patients’ concerns and treatment goals.
“As a heart failure specialist who has been trained within the MedStar Health system, I look forward to collaborating with providers, surgeons, and team members to provide thorough, high-quality, and multidisciplinary care.”
Clinical areas of focus
- Advanced Heart Failure (ADHF)
- Cardiac Amyloid
- Cardiac Sarcoidosis
- Cardiomyopathy
- Circulatory Assist Devices
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- Heart Transplant
- Home Inotropes
- Left Heart Failure
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Ventricular Assist Device
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Advanced Heart Failure (ADHF)
- Advanced Heart Failure (AHF)
- Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia
- Beriberi
- Cardiac Amyloid
- Cardiac Insufficiency
- Cardiac Sarcoidosis
- Cardiomyopathy
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- Cor Pulmonale
- Diabetic Cardiomyopathy
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- Genetic Cardiomyopathy
- Giant Cell Myocarditis
- Heart Transplant Rejection
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis
- Infiltrative Disorders Of The Heart
- Left Heart Failure
- Myocarditis
- Pulmonary Edema
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
- Rheumatic Heart Failure
- Right Heart Failure
- Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
- Tachycardia Induced Cardiomyopathy
- Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
- Viral Cardiomyopathy
Procedures I perform
- Cardiomems
- Chronic Inotropic Therapy
- Circulatory Assist Devices
- Heart Biopsy
- Heart Transplant
- Home Inotropes
- Mechanical Circulatory Support
- Pretransplant Clearance
- Ventricular Assist Device
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.
-
List of insurance plans we accept
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CFBCBS EPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- United Student Resources
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- United Healthcare Choice
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Tricare Prime
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- FIRST HEALTH
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- First Health PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
Fellowship Program: MedStar Georgetown Univ Hosp/Washington Hosp Ctr (2021)
Fellowship Program: Temple University Hospital (2020)
Residency Program: Loyola University Medical Center (2017)
Medical School: Indiana University-Purdue University (2014)