About me
Sana Somani, MD, is a board-certified neurologist joining as a vascular neurologist affiliated with the Comprehensive Stroke Centers at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She is also an attending telestroke physician for all MedStar Health hospitals and is Assistant Professor at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, where she educates neurology residents and NIH stroke fellows.
Dr. Somani received her medical degree from the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. She then completed a four-year neurology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she served as Chief Resident. Finally, she completed a specialty fellowship in vascular neurology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, before joining MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
As a vascular neurologist at MedStar Washington, one of the few MRI-based stroke programs in the country and also the largest NIH-funded stroke center, she sees patients for ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, hemorrhagic stroke, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. She has a special interest in treating stroke in the young population (patients between the ages of 30 and 50) including those with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
Dr. Somani provides acute stroke treatment and secondary stroke prevention. Acute stroke treatment aims to reduce the size of the stroke and reverse damage to the brain through clot-busting medications and clot retrieving procedures. Stroke prevention treatment aims to understand why the stroke occurred and implement a treatment plan that aims to prevent a stroke from happening in the future. Dr. Somani coordinates with physicians in different specialties, including neurosurgery, cardiology, vascular surgery, and rheumatology, to help create a tailored treatment plan for her patients.
Her research interests were sparked during her residency and fellowship training, where she witnessed first-hand the ethnic, racial, and gender disparities that exist within the healthcare system. She was interviewed by Neurology Today for her work regarding health disparities in stroke rehabilitation.
Philosophy of Care
“My philosophy of care rests on a central pillar: Treat the patient, not the disease. When treating patients who suffer from strokes, we have to make quick decisions in the moment that will impact their entire life. I always ask myself, ‘What can we do for the patient, not to the patient?’”
Clinical areas of focus
- Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) Treatment
Conditions and procedures
Procedures I perform
- Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) Treatment
- Numbness Evaluation And Treatment
- Stroke Care
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
- IH-EPO Plus
- CareFirst Administrators
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- IH-POS
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Beech Street PPO
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- Navigate
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- IH-Open HMO Option
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Sentara Health
- CareFirst EPO
- United Healthcare Choice
- Choice POS
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- IH-Open HMO
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- CIGNA Indemnity
- First Health PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Choice POS II Open Access
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Optimum Choice
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- Aetna VA Exchange
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- TRICARE East Prime
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Tricare Reserve Select
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- POS OA
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- TRICARE for Life East
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- IH-PPO
- Aetna Classic 5000
- Choice Fund PPO
- TRICARE East Select
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- UHC Passport
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- CareFirst NASCO
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- Medicare Direct
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- First Health PPO
- IH-Network Only Plus
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- IH-Open POS II
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- Aetna Basic
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- OA Plus
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- HighMark
- MultiPlan, Inc
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- IH-Indemnity
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- Choice POS II
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- Network OA
- Police and Fire Clinic
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- CIGNA EPO
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Blue Choice Advantage
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- United Student Resources
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Core Essential (HMO)
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- IH-POS Plus
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- Aetna Classic 3500
- Medicare FFS
- Employee Health Plan
- IH-HMO
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- CIGNA PPO
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, Vascular Neurology
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, Neurology
Fellowship: University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown GME (2021)
Residency: University of Alabama Medical Center-Birmingham (2020)
Medical School: Aga Khan University Medical School (2015)