University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute Has Key Role in Cardiometabolic Center Alliance's First Major Study of Team-Based Care for CKM Syndrome

Innovations in Cardiovascular Medicine & Surgery | September 2026

Adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) among patients with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome remains a challenge. Seeking to improve care outcomes, nine U.S. member sites of the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance participated in a prospective clinical cohort study evaluating the impact of a team-based care model. First author, Ian Neeland, MD, Co-Director of the Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular Metabolic Disease at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, (pictured above right with colleague) helped formalize this first major report from a group of similar cardiometabolic programs across the country. The study enrolled 2,223 individuals with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease in a team-led program with structured visits and standardized assessments. Results show GDMT increased substantially among patients, leading to significant improvement in CVD risk factors. Continued assessment of this model should be considered for adults with diabetes at risk for cardiovascular and kidney complications to help inform future clinical guidelines.