The statistics are clear: GLP-1 medications can have a dramatic effect on cardiovascular health.

Recent research has shown both semaglutide and tirzepatide — the active ingredients in Ozempic and Wegovy, and Mounjaro and Zepbound, respectively — can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization and all-cause mortality for heart failure patients. Stroke survivors who took GLP-1 or SGLT2 medications had a 74% lower risk of death and an 84% lower risk of heart attack, compared to patients who did not take either medication.

At the same time, research findings suggest that semaglutide can reduce annual healthcare costs by $7,502 for patients with overweight or obesity conditions, and by $9,276 for patients with heart failure or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

More than ever before, leaders of cardiovascular service lines are faced with meeting a shift in patient priorities and expectations while navigating fluctuating reimbursement policies and coverage plans.

Becker’s asked 11 cardiovascular care leaders how their programs are preparing to traverse this next phase of healthcare delivery.

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question: How is your cardiology program preparing for the broader effects of GLP-1 drugs on cardiac care?

Tariq Ahmad, MD. Chief of Heart Failure Program at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health: Our cardiology program recognizes that obesity is the primary driver of the growing heart failure epidemic, and the emergence of GLP-1 receptor agonists represents the most significant medical breakthrough in cardiovascular prevention and treatment in decades. These agents have the potential to alter the trajectory of cardiovascular disease at a population level by addressing obesity directly and improving cardiometabolic health.

Within the Yale New Haven Health System, tens of thousands of patients meet criteria to benefit from these therapies. However, the current bottleneck lies not in drug availability, but in ensuring that clinicians across specialties have the knowledge, tools and processes to identify eligible patients and initiate treatment efficiently. Bridging this gap is essential to achieving widespread clinical impact.

To address this, we are developing a population health-based strategy leveraging the electronic health record to systematically identify and engage qualifying patients. This approach integrates decision support, referral pathways and coordinated workflows to embed evidence-based GLP-1 prescribing into routine care.

Educational initiatives for providers are also underway to accelerate adoption and ensure safe, effective implementation. By combining advanced population health analytics, multidisciplinary collaboration and streamlined EHR-enabled care processes, Yale is positioning itself to become a national leader in the implementation of GLP-1–based therapies for cardiovascular risk reduction. We expect this initiative will not only improve outcomes for our patients but also serve as a model for other health systems navigating the integration of transformative therapies into clinical practice.

Hem Bhardwaj, MD, and William Cahoon, PharmD. VCU Health’s Pauley Heart Center (Richmond, Va.): From a cardiovascular perspective, ensuring appropriate patient selection will be important to maintain medication access. GLP-1 RAs currently have prohibitive costs with insurance coverage often requiring specific prior authorization criteria. Larger interest in the weight-loss benefits of these agents has resulted in supply chain challenges with intermittent drug shortages. Ensuring accessibility to vulnerable patient populations with cardiometabolic indications will be an area of continued focus.

In addition to access, patient education regarding adverse effects will be important as it may impact medication usage. Evaluating how to incorporate GLP-1 RAs while continuing to prioritize goal-directed medical therapy would be of further benefit. Additionally, continued study of these agents will be important to determine efficacy of chronic use.

Eric Brandt, MD. Director of Preventive Cardiology at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center (Ann Arbor): There has been an effort to ensure practitioners have knowledge and comfort with ordering the medications. Before this time, they were primarily prescribed by primary care physicians and endocrinologists for diabetes. However, over time it is becoming common practice. It is helpful to operate within systems that have clear pathways for supporting drug approvals and working with specialty pharmacies that are well-versed in managing these types of medications.

Thomas Draper. Vice President of the Wellstar Center for Cardiovascular Care (Marietta, Ga.): At the Wellstar Center for Cardiovascular Care, we recognize the growing use of GLP-1 therapies and their expanding role in reducing cardiovascular risk. As part of our comprehensive preventive cardiology program, we’re launching a new cardio-metabolic program to support patients using GLP-1 medications while delivering holistic cardiovascular care through a multidisciplinary team.

Our approach includes medical management, education on risk factor modification and guidance to help patients sustain meaningful lifestyle changes. We believe in treating the whole person — not just relying on medication — to promote lasting cardiovascular health.

As GLP-1 therapies continue to show promise at the population level, cardiology programs must prepare for a shift in the types of patients and disease stages we manage, particularly those involving obesity and diabetes. This evolution calls for a proactive reimagining of cardiovascular care delivery.

While the volume of high-complexity cases may decline, we anticipate growth in the number of chronically ill, medically managed patients. To meet these changing needs, cardiology programs must strengthen prevention efforts, leverage data and EHRs to identify at-risk individuals earlier and expand the use of advanced imaging technologies to manage a broader patient population effectively.

Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD. Executive Director of the Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute (Boston): At Mass General Brigham, we see GLP-1s as an incredible opportunity to treat a host of cardiac conditions and, to that end, have begun prescribing them as a standard of care addressing cardiac concerns. While every cardiologist should have access to prescribing these drugs, the demand continues to grow, outpacing the needed frameworks to successfully prescribe. As such, our biggest challenge — and opportunity — will be in our ability to scale up to meet both the needs of patients and the full spectrum of evaluation criteria needed to be successful.

Carl “Chip” Lavie, MD. Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Preventive Cardiology at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute (New Orleans): I’ve given lectures on obesity, cardiometabolic diseases, dyslipidemia and hypertension — including the latest hypertension guidelines and the potential use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor management. The data supporting these medications is especially compelling for diabetes and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Many clinicians have attempted to prescribe these agents, but some have been discouraged due to limited approvals or high out-of-pocket costs. I’ve encouraged many colleagues by highlighting that this landscape is gradually improving — prescribing is becoming easier and costs are starting to decrease. Currently, I have many patients on semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Editor’s note: Dr. Lavie noted that he serves on a data safety board for Novo Nordisk’s REDEFINE III clinical event trial.

Kavita Sharma, MD. Cardiologist and lipidologist, OhioHealth (Columbus): Clinical trials have shown cardiovascular benefit of some GLP-1 agonists, particularly in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Our cardiology program at OhioHealth features a lipid clinic to assist with management of these types of patients. Furthermore, development of a cardiometabolic clinic is in progress given the expanding identification of patients in need.

The OhioHealth lipid clinic is currently a multi-location clinic with thousands of patients in which our providers specialized in lipid management focus on prevention of cardiovascular disease, lipid lowering and seek to identify and begin patients on GLP-1 agonists on appropriate patients in need. Our aim at OhioHealth is also to develop a cardiometabolic clinic, ideally a multi-specialty clinic, in multiple locations, to further holistically manage patients with cardiometabolic syndrome.

Ahmad Slim, MD. Chief Medical Officer at MultiCare’s Pulse Heart Institute (Tacoma, Wash.): Cardiology programs are shifting gears as GLP-1 drugs like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide show strong heart health benefits. Backed by new ACC guidelines, these medications are now recommended as first-line treatment for patients with obesity and cardiovascular risk — even ahead of lifestyle changes. Real-world data points to fewer heart attacks, hospital stays and better cholesterol control.

In response, Pulse is building a MultiCare health system-wide cardiometabolic care pathway under our Population Health Center of Excellence. Launching in 2026, the program will bring together cardiologists, primary care and nutrition experts to deliver coordinated, prevention-focused care across all Multicare platforms.

George Sokos, MD. Medical Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute (Morgantown, W.Va.): We’re really embracing the fact that GLP-1s have become legitimate cardiovascular drugs — not just for diabetes or weight loss. Our preventive cardiology team is identifying the right patients, and with data showing 20% reductions in major cardiac events, we’re seeing real promise in practice. It’s exciting to have this new tool in our toolkit and we’re making sure our whole care team understands how to use these medications effectively for cardiovascular protection.

Michael Widlansky, MD. Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center and Interim Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Wauwatosa): I suspect that GLP-1 drugs will ultimately have a similar effect on cardiovascular disease and practice that statins have had over the past 30 years. They will not eliminate cardiovascular disease, particularly considering an aging population, but they will delay its onset and have some meaningful impact on mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease.

From a practice perspective, we need to be prepared to use the GLP-1 class drugs both for patients with established disease for secondary prevention of events and as part of a comprehensive preventive cardiology program. These medications give us the potential to manage obesity more effectively in combination with lifestyle modification, following the pattern we have employed for cholesterol and blood pressure management for many years.

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