Cardiology is the internal medicine subspecialty that diagnoses and treats disease of the heart and the great vessels. A cardiologist completes a three-year ACGME-accredited internal medicine residency followed by a three-year ACGME-accredited cardiovascular disease fellowship and then sits for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Cardiovascular Disease certifying examination, with optional further fellowship training and ABIM subspecialty boards in Interventional Cardiology, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, and Adult Congenital Heart Disease. Fellowship in the American College of Cardiology (FACC) is a peer-reviewed honorific granted by ACC after several years of practice, board certification in cardiovascular disease, and sustained contribution to the field, and the FACC credential travels with the physician across hospital appointments and group affiliations as a marker of senior standing among cardiologists. For a patient comparing physicians, the practical meaning is: “ABIM Diplomate” signals the doctor has completed cardiology fellowship and passed the certifying exam, while “FACC” after the name signals additional peer recognition by the national cardiology body.
The three Nashville practices below are physician-led cardiology groups that read echocardiograms in accordance with American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) standards, run cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention against the ACC/AHA/SCAI revascularization guidelines, treat hypertension and lipid disorders against the ACC/AHA blood pressure and cholesterol guidelines, manage heart failure under the ACC/AHA/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure, and address atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia under the ACC/AHA/HRS atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia guidelines. Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63 Chapter 6 governs the licensure of medical doctors in the state under the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, and every cardiologist on staff at the practices below holds an active TN medical license alongside ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Diplomate status.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Heart Group | Practicing since 1984, physician-led private practice with three ABIM Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology subspecialty diplomates and Ascension Saint Thomas privileges. | General adult cardiology, transthoracic and transesophageal echo, nuclear stress, PCI, pacemaker and ICD implantation, advanced heart failure. |
| Centennial Heart Cardiovascular Consultants | Founded 2007, 86 physicians across 8 cardiovascular specialty areas, ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Diplomates with FACC and subspecialty board certification. | High Risk Valve Clinic, Advanced Heart Failure Clinic, Aortic Center, CT angiography, PCI, peripheral vascular intervention, catheter ablation. |
| Young Cardiology | Drs. Britten F. Young, MD, FACC and John Young, MD, MBA, FACC, ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Diplomates with Dr. John Young additionally Interventional Cardiology certified. | Preventive cardiology, cardiometabolic care, post-procedure secondary prevention, advanced lipid testing, lipoprotein(a), coronary calcium scoring. |
1. The Heart Group #
The Heart Group, PLLC has practiced cardiovascular medicine from 4230 Harding Pike, Suite 330, in west Nashville since 1984, with appointment scheduling through (615) 284-5433. The firm is the cardiology partner of choice for many west Nashville internists and is a physician-led private practice rather than a hospital-employed division, with the staff cardiologists holding hospital privileges at the Ascension Saint Thomas system on the same Harding Pike campus where the office sits. The physician roster includes George S. Scoville, Jr., MD in cardiovascular disease, Mark F. Aaron, MD in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, Douglas J. Pearce, MD in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, Warren K. Stribling, MD in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, Thomas G. Bartlett, MD in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, Vafa C. Mansouri, DO in interventional cardiology, and additional general and subspecialty cardiologists across the full cardiovascular continuum.
The forty-plus-year tenure of the group covers the era in which percutaneous coronary intervention matured from balloon angioplasty through bare-metal stents into the drug-eluting stent generation, and the same period saw the rise of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy, cardiac resynchronization therapy, catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement as standard tools in the cardiovascular toolkit. Heart failure and transplant cardiology is a structural strength of the group with three ABIM Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology subspecialty diplomates on the roster, which is the credential set the ABIM requires for the inpatient and outpatient care of advanced heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and heart transplantation candidacy work.
Subspecialty Coverage at the Heart Group #
The clinical service line spans general adult cardiology consultation, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, treadmill and pharmacologic nuclear stress testing, ambulatory rhythm monitoring with Holter and event recorders, cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention, pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation, catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia under the on-staff electrophysiologist, and the longitudinal outpatient management of heart failure, hypertension, lipid disorders, and post-myocardial-infarction secondary prevention. The Ascension Saint Thomas affiliation at the same Harding Pike address gives the group direct intramural access to the inpatient cardiac care unit, the cardiac catheterization laboratory, the structural heart team for transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and the cardiothoracic surgery service when a patient needs coronary artery bypass grafting or surgical valve replacement.
https://www.theheartgroup.net/
2. Centennial Heart Cardiovascular Consultants #
Centennial Heart Cardiovascular Consultants was founded in 2007 and operates from 2400 Patterson Street, Suite 502, in the Physicians Park building on the TriStar Centennial Medical Center campus in midtown Nashville, with appointment scheduling through (615) 515-1900. The group has grown to a roster of eighty-six physicians across eight cardiovascular specialty areas with more than twenty clinic locations across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, and the founding clinical leadership of Robert M. Wheatley, Tom Johnston, Chris Jones, Robert Myers, and Tom McRae brought the group to the TriStar Centennial campus at inception. The physicians hold ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Diplomate status with FACC fellowship credentials and carry ABIM subspecialty certification in Interventional Cardiology, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology across the roster.
The TriStar Centennial campus location places the practice across the street from a tertiary cardiac referral center with a full cardiac catheterization laboratory complement, an electrophysiology laboratory, a structural heart program for transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and cardiothoracic surgery coverage, which lets the cardiologists move a patient from the outpatient clinic to the cath lab, the EP lab, or the operating room within the same campus boundary. The Patterson Street office houses a High Risk Valve Clinic for the multidisciplinary evaluation of patients being considered for transcatheter or surgical valve intervention, an Advanced Heart Failure Clinic for the longitudinal management of stage C and stage D heart failure, and an Aortic Center for the surveillance and treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection.
Research and Subspecialty Programs at Centennial Heart #
The group has participated in over two hundred industry-sponsored clinical trials since 2007 with enrollment of more than three thousand patients across coronary intervention, electrophysiology, structural heart, and heart failure protocols, which gives the patient panel access to investigational therapies that are not generally available outside dedicated cardiovascular research sites. The non-invasive service line covers ASE-standard transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, treadmill exercise stress testing, nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging, cardiac CT angiography, and ambulatory cardiac rhythm monitoring, while the invasive service line covers diagnostic cardiac catheterization, percutaneous coronary intervention with bare-metal and drug-eluting stents, peripheral vascular intervention, pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement, and catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia under the electrophysiology team.
3. Young Cardiology #
Young Cardiology is the private cardiology practice of Britten F. Young, MD, FACC and John Young, MD, MBA, FACC at 6200 Tennessee 100, Suite 301, in Nashville, with appointment scheduling through (615) 899-5667. Dr. Britten Young is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease through the ABIM with fifteen years of clinical practice focused on preventive cardiology, cardiometabolic health, and non-invasive imaging, and her professional memberships include the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, the National Lipid Association, and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. John Young carries dual ABIM certification in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology with additional ABIM certification in Critical Care Medicine and over twenty-five years of clinical and executive leadership in cardiovascular care, with more than one hundred peer-reviewed publications and Fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association.
The clinic operates as a personalized cardiology practice that focuses on preventive risk-factor optimization for patients at elevated atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, longitudinal management of the post-procedure patient who has had percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting and needs structured secondary prevention follow-up, and individualized cardiovascular risk assessment that goes beyond the pooled cohort equation to include advanced lipid testing, lipoprotein(a) measurement, and coronary calcium scoring where indicated under the ACC/AHA cholesterol guideline framework. The husband-and-wife physician structure keeps the patient panel small enough for both cardiologists to maintain direct longitudinal continuity with each patient across the preventive, diagnostic, and post-procedure phases of care.
Preventive Cardiology Focus at Young Cardiology #
The preventive cardiology service line at the clinic is built around the ACC/AHA primary prevention framework: pooled cohort equation risk estimation followed by risk-enhancer evaluation, selective use of coronary artery calcium scoring for borderline and intermediate risk patients, statin therapy decisions structured around primary prevention risk categories and secondary prevention indications, lipoprotein(a) measurement where the family history or premature cardiovascular disease pattern indicates, structured hypertension management against the ACC/AHA blood pressure target, and longitudinal cardiometabolic care that integrates lipid management, glycemic control, weight management, and lifestyle counseling into a single cardiology follow-up cadence. The non-invasive diagnostic mix covers transthoracic echocardiography, exercise and pharmacologic stress testing, and ambulatory rhythm monitoring under ASE and ACC standards, with referral pathways into the on-campus interventional and electrophysiology services in the Nashville cardiology community when a patient progresses to invasive evaluation.
How to Choose Among These Three Nashville Cardiology Practices #
Clinical question and hospital alignment should drive the selection inquiry. A patient with advanced heart failure, transplant evaluation needs, or a long-running west-side Ascension Saint Thomas hospital relationship aligns with The Heart Group, which carries three ABIM Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology subspecialty diplomates on its roster and forty-plus years of continuity on the Harding Pike campus. A patient with structural valve disease being considered for transcatheter aortic valve replacement, an electrophysiology referral for atrial fibrillation ablation, or interest in industry-sponsored clinical trial enrollment fits Centennial Heart Cardiovascular Consultants, which operates the High Risk Valve Clinic, the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic, and the Aortic Center on the TriStar Centennial campus and has enrolled more than three thousand patients in over two hundred cardiovascular trials since 2007. A patient seeking preventive cardiology, post-procedure secondary-prevention follow-up, or longitudinal continuity with the same named physician at each visit fits Young Cardiology, where the husband-and-wife structure keeps the patient panel small enough for direct continuity. Verify ABIM Diplomate status through the ABIM Physician Search and check Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners licensure through the Tennessee Department of Health license verification portal before scheduling an initial consultation.
Reference Notes #
ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Diplomate certification requires completion of an ACGME-accredited three-year internal medicine residency followed by a three-year ACGME-accredited cardiovascular disease fellowship and passing the ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Certifying Examination, with the credential maintained through the ten-year ABIM MOC cycle of longitudinal knowledge assessment and continuous professional development. ABIM subspecialty certification is offered in Interventional Cardiology for the percutaneous coronary intervention subspecialty, in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology for the arrhythmia diagnosis and ablation subspecialty, in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology for the heart failure and transplant subspecialty, and in Adult Congenital Heart Disease for the adult congenital subspecialty, each built on an additional one-to-two-year ACGME-accredited fellowship after the cardiovascular disease fellowship. FACC, Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, is awarded by ACC on the basis of board certification in cardiovascular disease or a recognized cardiovascular subspecialty, sustained practice activity, peer nomination, and contribution to the field. The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Echocardiography accreditation is a voluntary laboratory-level accreditation against published IAC standards for transthoracic, transesophageal, stress, and pediatric echocardiography, including personnel credentialing, equipment performance, examination protocols, and case-based quality review. American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) standards set the technical and interpretive guidelines for chamber quantification, valvular disease assessment, diastolic function evaluation, and the standardized echocardiographic examination. The ACC/AHA/SCAI guideline on coronary artery revascularization frames the indications and the technique for percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting. The ACC/AHA/HFSA heart failure guideline frames the staging, the guideline-directed medical therapy, and the device and advanced therapy thresholds for heart failure care. The ACC/AHA/HRS atrial fibrillation guideline frames rhythm and rate control, anticoagulation under CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED, and catheter ablation indications. The ACC/AHA blood pressure guideline sets the 130/80 mmHg threshold for stage 1 hypertension and frames treatment initiation and target ranges. The ACC/AHA cholesterol guideline frames atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment around the pooled cohort equation and structures statin therapy intensity around primary and secondary prevention categories. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) structural heart program requires a multidisciplinary heart team that includes interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac imaging, and cardiac anesthesiology under ACC/AHA/STS valvular heart disease guideline standards. Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63 Chapter 6 governs the licensure of medical doctors in Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, including the scope of practice, continuing medical education requirements, and disciplinary framework that apply to every TN-licensed cardiologist.
Selection Methodology #
Cardiology practice in Tennessee runs through internal medicine residency, ABIM Cardiovascular Disease subspecialty fellowship, and (where applicable) further fellowship in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, or advanced heart failure. The filter for the practices above started at the ABIM Cardiovascular Disease Diplomate register and worked through hospital affiliation, on-site diagnostic capability (echo, stress testing, Holter and event monitoring, vascular ultrasound), subspecialty fellowship documentation where claimed, and physician supervision of any mid-level clinician on the team. Each office lists a tenured Nashville-area cardiologist as the clinical lead with a verifiable street address. National rollups without a board-certified Nashville cardiologist of record and addresses unverifiable against the ABMS register were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: How do I verify a Nashville cardiology practitioner holds the right credentials?
A: Use the American Board of Medical Specialties Certification Matters lookup at certificationmatters.org, the ABIM Physician Search for Cardiovascular Disease Diplomate status, and the Tennessee Department of Health practitioner profile at health.tn.gov.
Q: What sets these three apart from the broader Nashville cardiology field?
A: A cardiologist sits behind a three-year internal medicine residency plus a three-year cardiovascular disease fellowship, and additional ABIM subspecialty certification in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, or advanced heart failure adds another year-plus on top. Each practice above seats ABMS-certified cardiologists, and the practical separators past that floor are which subspecialty bench the group actually fields (cath lab, EP suite, structural heart, heart failure), in-office imaging depth (echo, stress, cardiac CT), and Nashville hospital affiliation for the procedural caseload that doesn’t fit in a clinic.
Q: Are any of the three practices paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No practice sponsored placement.
Q: How should I prepare for a first appointment?
A: Confirm in-network status with your insurer, bring photo ID, a list of current medications, recent lab work, and any prior echocardiogram or catheterization reports, and request the practice’s published new-patient intake forms in advance to streamline the first visit.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.