How to Choose Where to See a Cardiologist in Minnesota: Rochester vs. the Twin Cities

Start with what you need, not with a name

People often ask which Minnesota hospital has the best heart program. A more useful question is which program fits your situation. A routine stress test, a complex rhythm problem, an adult congenital heart condition and a structural valve procedure are very different needs. They may point you to different places.

If you are not sure what kind of cardiologist you need, read our guide to cardiology subspecialties first. Then come back and compare locations. Your primary care doctor or current cardiologist is the best person to tell you which subspecialty applies to you.

The main options at a glance

The table below lists only what each program's own official pages say. It is not a ranking. For more detail on each system, see our overview of Minnesota's major heart centers.

Rochester: Mayo Clinic

In Rochester, cardiology care is centered on the Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. Mayo says the Rochester group is one of its three cardiovascular groups. The other two are in Jacksonville, Florida, and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona.

The department's page describes its specialists in sweeping terms about size and scope. That is the institution describing itself. Like any hospital's self-description, it does not tell you whether Mayo is the right fit for your condition, your insurance or your travel limits.

Questions to ask if you are considering Rochester

• Is Mayo Clinic in network for your plan, and does your plan require a referral or prior authorization for an out-of-area specialist?
• Will you need one visit or a series of tests and follow-ups? Repeated trips make a difference if you live in the Twin Cities or farther away.
• Can follow-up care happen closer to home, with records shared back to your local cardiologist or primary care doctor?
• Who will coordinate your care after the visit, and how will results reach your other doctors?

Twin Cities: the academic option

In Minneapolis, the academic program is the University of Minnesota Medical School Cardiovascular Division, part of the Department of Medicine. Its division chief is Ganesh Raveendran, MD, MS, MBA, who holds the Dr. Jay N. Cohn Endowed Chair in Cardiology. Patients are seen through the clinical partner, M Health Fairview Heart Care, which lists 612-365-5000 as its phone number.

The division's subspecialty page lists the following areas:

• Adult congenital cardiology
• Advanced heart failure
• Cardiology critical care
• Cardiac electrophysiology
• General cardiology
• Cardiovascular imaging
• Interventional cardiology
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Preventive cardiology

M Health Fairview also runs a structural heart program at University of Minnesota Medical Center, East Bank campus. If your doctor has mentioned structural heart care, that page shows where the program is based.

Twin Cities: health-system heart programs

Many Minnesotans get their heart care through the health system they already use for primary care. Staying inside one system can make scheduling, records and referrals simpler. Here is what the three large Twin Cities programs say about themselves.

Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute (Abbott Northwestern Hospital)

Allina's Minneapolis Heart Institute location at Abbott Northwestern Hospital offers a full range of cardiovascular services. These include cardiologists, stress testing, stress echocardiograms, Holter and event monitors, and peripheral vascular imaging. According to Allina, the institute was formed in 1981 from three groups: thoracic physicians, cardiac surgeons and cardiologists.

HealthPartners Regions Hospital, The Heart Center (Saint Paul)

The Heart Center at Regions Hospital is at 640 Jackson St, Saint Paul, MN 55101-2502. It offers preventive, diagnostic and treatment cardiovascular services. The Regions hospital page notes that emergency drop-off is on East 12th Street and that parking is in the South ramp. Both details are worth knowing before your first visit.

Hennepin Healthcare Cardiology Clinic (Minneapolis)

Hennepin Healthcare runs a Cardiology Clinic in the Hennepin Heart Center in Minneapolis. A third-party listing gives the address as 715 S. 8th St. Confirm the address and phone number on Hennepin Healthcare's official site before you go.

Matching your need to a program

Once you know your subspecialty, compare it with each program's own list of services. Start with these questions:

• Does the program's official page name your subspecialty, such as electrophysiology, advanced heart failure or adult congenital cardiology?
• Does it offer the specific tests your doctor ordered, such as a stress echocardiogram or a Holter monitor?
• If you may need a procedure later, is that program based at the same campus, or would you be sent elsewhere?
• Is there a clinic location closer to you for routine follow-ups?

How the referral pathway usually works

Where you end up often depends on how you get there. Whether you need a referral depends on your health plan, not on the hospital. Check your plan documents or call the member services number on your insurance card.

1. Talk with your current doctorAsk which cardiology subspecialty fits your situation and whether they suggest specific programs. Ask why they suggest them.
2. Check your insurance networkCall your plan and ask whether the cardiologist, clinic and hospital are all in network. Ask whether you need a referral or prior authorization.
3. Get the referral in writing if requiredMake sure the referral names the right specialty and, if needed, the specific clinic or system.
4. Gather your recordsAsk for recent test results, imaging, medication lists and visit notes to be sent ahead, or bring copies yourself.
5. Call the clinic to scheduleConfirm which campus the visit is at, what to bring and whether any tests happen the same day.
6. Check the cardiologist's credentialsLook up the physician's Minnesota license and board certification before the visit.

For the last step, our guide on checking a Minnesota cardiologist's license, discipline and board certification explains where to look and what the results mean.

Location and logistics

Heart care often involves more than one appointment. A first consultation may lead to imaging, a monitor you wear at home, a return visit to go over results and then regular check-ins. Before you choose, think about the whole sequence, not just the first visit.

• Distance and winter driving: a long drive once may be fine. A long drive for repeated follow-ups through a Minnesota winter is a different decision.
• Parking and drop-off: hospital pages sometimes list these details, as Regions does for its South ramp and East 12th Street drop-off.
• A companion: many people bring a family member or friend to help take notes and drive.
• Record sharing: if you see a specialist in one system and a primary care doctor in another, ask how results will be shared.

Reading hospital marketing with a clear eye

Every program on this page publishes information about itself, and some use superlatives. Those claims can be true and still not matter for you. The more useful details are concrete: which subspecialties are listed, which tests are offered, where the clinic is, and whether it takes your insurance. We don't rank programs, and no single hospital is the right answer for everyone.

For an overview of how cardiology care works in Minnesota, see our independent guide to finding and seeing a cardiologist in Minnesota.