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In cardiovascular medicine, breakthroughs often come one procedure at a time. At HonorHealth Heart Care, they’re arriving in waves and increasingly as part of a broader strategy to rethink how care is delivered.
Across its network of more than 40 heart care locations throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, the Scottsdale-based health system has steadily expanded its capabilities in heart, lung and vascular care, combining prevention, diagnosis and treatment with minimally invasive procedures, advanced heart failure therapies and system-wide growth. The result, leaders say, is not just more innovation, but a more complete and connected approach to treating cardiovascular disease.
“We’re not just adding new technologies,” said Dr. Robert Riley, network director of cardiothoracic surgery at HonorHealth Heart Care. “We’re building a program that can deliver the full spectrum of care from routine procedures to the most complex cases, in a way that’s integrated and sustainable.”
That vision has taken shape over several years as HonorHealth has grown its cardiovascular services across its nine-hospital system and recruited specialists from around the world.
A shift toward less invasive care
A defining trend across the program is the move toward a minimally invasive treatment that reduces recovery times while expanding who can be treated.
In 2024, HonorHealth physicians became the first in Arizona to perform a minimally invasive pulmonary valve replacement for adults with congenital heart disease, offering an alternative to open-heart surgery.
The system has continued to build on that momentum. It was also the first non-clinical trial site in the state to perform a transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement using the EVOQUE system, a procedure that expands options for patients with complex valve disease.
Together with advancements in aortic and mitral valve therapies, those procedures reflect a broader push to offer more complete, catheter-based solutions across all major heart valves.
“We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how we treat structural heart disease,” said Dr. Haidar Yassin, an interventional cardiologist and network director of structural heart disease, HonorHealth Heart Care. “These less invasive options can help patients recover faster while improving quality of life.”
Advancing vascular care
Innovation is also reshaping vascular treatment, particularly for patients with peripheral artery disease.
In 2025, HonorHealth became the first system in the U.S. to use a retrievable stent designed to treat narrowed arteries below the knee.
Unlike traditional implants, the device temporarily supports the artery before being removed, a change that can reduce long-term complications while improving blood flow.
“This technology allows us to restore blood flow with less trauma to the artery,” said Dr. Hasan Aldailami, network director of vascular surgery at HonorHealth Heart Care. “It opens the door to treating patients who previously had very limited options, while helping them stay active and independent.”
For Dr. Aldailami and his colleagues, these advances are part of a larger effort to intervene earlier and reduce the need for more invasive procedures later.
New options for advanced heart failure patients
At the same time, HonorHealth is expanding care for patients with advanced heart failure, an area of growing demand as the population ages.
In 2025, the system launched an Artificial Heart Program, introducing ventricular assist device (VAD) technology for patients whose hearts can no longer pump effectively on their own.
“This is more than a device. It’s a lifeline,” said Dr. Geoffrey Jao, medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Artificial Heart Program at HonorHealth. “We’re combining surgical innovation with a team-based approach so patients have support at every stage of their care.”
Building a more connected system
While each advancement represents a milestone, leaders say the bigger shift is happening in how care is coordinated.
HonorHealth’s model emphasizes collaboration across specialties by bringing together cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, vascular specialists and rehabilitation teams across the care continuum to guide patients from diagnosis through recovery. Programs like cardiac rehabilitation extend that care beyond the hospital, helping patients rebuild strength and confidence after a cardiac event.
“It’s not one procedure or one specialty that defines success,” Dr. Riley said. “It’s how well the entire system works together around the patient.”
The goal, leaders say, is to create a more coordinated experience for patients, where care is connected across every stage from initial diagnosis to long-term recovery.
Looking ahead
As cardiovascular care continues to evolve, HonorHealth leaders say the next phase will focus as much on prevention as treatment.
The system’s involvement in national collaborations, including efforts to address cardiometabolic disease, reflects a shift toward more integrated care by targeting conditions like diabetes and heart disease together to reduce long-term risk.
“Healthcare is evolving quickly, especially in heart care,” Dr. Riley added. “Our responsibility is to stay ahead of that, not just by adopting new technologies, but by building the teams and systems needed to deliver them effectively.”
For patients, that evolution is already visible in shorter recoveries, more treatment options and care that is increasingly tailored to their needs.
For HonorHealth, it reflects a broader ambition, one that extends beyond individual procedures to the future of heart care itself.
