About me
Ajay Kadakkal, MD, is a board-certified advanced heart failure specialist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute. He treats patients with advanced diastolic heart failure and congestive heart failure. He also treats patients who are in need of a heart transplant and require mechanical service support from devices like the left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In addition, Dr. Kadakkal takes a special interest in infiltrative and inflammatory heart conditions like cardiac amyloidosis and sarcoidosis, which are often underdiagnosed. He is dedicated to building MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute as a referral base and top local center for referrals for patients with these conditions.
Dr. Kadakkal is part of a strong clinical practice at MedStar Health that provides a variety of diagnostic tests, ranging from imaging to cardiac stress testing. As part of this practice, he contributes to a team that is at the forefront of LVAD device placement and management at one of the top LVAD implant centers in the country. Dr. Kadakkal is passionate about continuing to develop and improve the durability and size of LVADs. His goal is to contribute to clinical trials that will improve the design of LVADs to be fully implantable, smaller, and less intrusive to the patient’s quality of life.
He is part of a group research effort at MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute that involves a variety of clinical trials currently researching and providing new technology to patients who require mechanical circulatory support. His team is also currently building a database that observes patients with sarcoidosis and amyloidosis, looking at the difference in hemodynamic parameters among specific treatments for these conditions.
Dr. Kadakkal received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He then joined University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for residency and fellowship training before completing a specialty fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center.
Philosophy of Care
“Today, cardiovascular care is heavily influenced by technology. For this reason, it’s important that I am able to offer my patients the most advanced technology available while adhering to evidence-based practices.
“I take the time to help each patient understand the process of his/her disease and clearly understand what treatment options are available to either improve his/her health or stay within the lines of what his/her goals of care are. I believe that a holistic approach to patient care provides the best results. The ability to provide compassionate care lies in the time I take to listen to my patients in order to provide them with the best quality of life and survival available to them by implementing what I feel is the newest and most advanced technology.
“I am available to share information with providers and coordinate care with them for any referral patients.”
Clinical areas of focus
- Cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Ventricular Dysfunction
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 Sarcoidosis
- Cardiomyopathy
- Complications Of Cardiac And Vascular Prosthetic Devices
- Complications Of Transplanted Organs And Tissue
- Heart Disease
- Heart Failure
- Heart Transplant Failure
- Heart Transplant Rejection
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Multiple Myeloma With Amyloidosis
- Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension
- Presence Of Cardiac And Vascular Implants
- Pulmonary Edema
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
- Valve Disease With Congestive Heart Failure
- Ventricular Assist Device Infection
- Ventricular Dysfunction
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
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- IH-POS
- Employee Health Plan
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- First Health PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- IH-Open POS II
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- Optimum Choice
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- IH-Network Only Plus
- Aetna Classic 3500
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- TRICARE East Prime
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- OA Plus
- Medicare FFS
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- IH-PPO
- MultiPlan, Inc
- IH-HMO
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- HighMark
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Aetna Basic
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- First Health PPO
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- CIGNA PPO
- Choice POS II
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- Core Essential (HMO)
- Choice Fund PPO
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- CareFirst NASCO
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- CareFirst EPO
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-Indemnity
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- Blue Choice Advantage
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- CIGNA Indemnity
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- Aetna HMO
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- POS OA
- TRICARE East Select
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- IH-POS Plus
- Navigate
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- Aetna VA Exchange
- Beech Street PPO
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Medicare Direct
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- TRICARE for Life East
- IH-Open HMO Option
- UHC Passport
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- United Healthcare Choice
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Choice POS II Open Access
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- IH-Open HMO
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- Choice POS
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- CareFirst Administrators
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- Network OA
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- Aetna Classic 5000
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- United Student Resources
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Sentara Health
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- IH-EPO Plus
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease
Fellowship: Stanford University School of Medicine (2017)
Fellowship: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2016)
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2012)
Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine (2009)