FAQ’s

A cardiologist is a physician that specializes on Cardiovascular Care. Cardio – Heart

Vascular – Vessels.

Cardiologists treat many conditions related to the heart and vascular system including, but not limited to, coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart attack, heart valve disease, heart arrythmias, congenital abnormalities, arterial and venous disease.

Invasive cardiologists have the ability to perform invasive procedures and diagnostic tests used to diagnose and treat some cardiovascular conditions such as blocked arteries, pacemakers, loop recorders, transesophageal echocardiograms. At Tri-County Heart Institute we are pleased to offer Invasive cardiology services, when needed, to our patients.

Typically, a referral is not needed to be seen by a cardiologist. However, your insurance may require this, therefore, it would be advisable to affirm this with your insurance company.

Dr. Nitza Alvarez is a Board Certified Cardiologist, Fellow of the American Heart Association.She has been providing cardiac care for over 9 years. She graduated from Medical School with honors, and completed her specialty also know as Cardiac Fellowship at Albany Medical Center in New York. She holds board certification in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Nuclear medicine and Echocardiography.

Women heart health. As a cardiologist she specialized in management of cardiovascular disease however she has a special interest in women heart diseases.

Currently Dr Alvarez hold privileges at UF The Villages Regional Hospital, UF Leesburg Regional Hospital and the Outpatient Surgery Center of Central Florida.

At Tri-County we encouraged the use of our patient portal or healow app for more effective communication with your providers. By using the Patient Portal, or healow app you no longer have to call the office, leave a message, and wait for a response to get the results of your lab work; those results will be available to you through the Portal. You can also send a message to the office through the Portal and expect a prompt reply.

At Tri-County the quality of the encounter is our priority. We utilize Scribes to secure direct one to one time with your doctor without submitting you to the interruption that many times come with the use of technology.

Although age alone is not necessary the only factor to determine if you should see a heart specialist, any women older than 55 y/o, or a man older than 45 y/o consider seen a cardiologist as they are at higher risk for cardiac diseases.

If you have strong family history for cardiac disease with a mother or sister with heart attack before the age of 65 or a father or brother before the age of 55 y/o you will benefit from seen a cardiologist. If you have high cholesterol or suffer from uncontrolled HTN consider establishing with a cardiologist.

Several health conditions, your lifestyle, and your age and family history can increase your risk for heart disease. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. Other factors are High Cholesterol, Smoking, Lack of exercise. Diet, obesity and even Family history.

Yes. Although there are some similar aspects, heart disease in women present different and many times the treatment is different.
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bXCSRhXbIc&list=PL6m88ES5LwasA_IjkDIolaReRNp-3nVD8&index=12&t=0s

Yes. A cardiologist will be able to detect a heart condition that you might not be aware of having. It can also complete a pre-exercise stress test to evaluate your exercise capacity, your blood pressure response to exercise and any presence of arrhythmias on exertion.