At a time when cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S.—and wait times to see a cardiologist can stretch beyond three months in many states—Dr. Jeffrey Wessler is offering a bold new solution: nationwide, on-demand cardiology delivered virtually, integrated directly into employer health plans.
As founder and CEO of Heartbeat Health, Dr. Wessler is spearheading a movement to decentralize heart care, making preventative cardiology accessible to millions of Americans through telehealth, diagnostics, and coordinated specialist networks. Now operating at scale across all 50 states and contracting with major employers, Heartbeat Health isn’t just helping people with existing conditions—it’s aiming to catch heart disease before it strikes.
And it all starts with a virtual visit.
Reimagining Heart Care in the Digital Era
Traditional cardiology care has long been fragmented, reactive, and inconvenient. Patients often bounce between primary care doctors, specialists, labs, and insurers—waiting weeks for referrals and test results, while symptoms worsen or go ignored.
Heartbeat Health flips this model on its head. The platform enables patients to:
- Consult board-certified cardiologists virtually within days, not weeks
- Access remote diagnostic testing (e.g., ECGs, cholesterol panels, blood pressure) from home or workplace
- Receive risk stratification and prevention plans using AI-driven clinical pathways
- Get coordinated referrals to in-person care only when necessary
All of this is wrapped into an employer-integrated benefit, allowing companies to offer cardiac screenings and virtual care directly to their employees—often before a claim is ever filed.
Meet Dr. Jeffrey Wessler: Cardiologist Turned Tech Builder
Dr. Wessler, a practicing cardiologist and former Columbia University faculty member, saw the limitations of legacy healthcare early in his career. Long patient backlogs. Burned-out colleagues. Missed prevention windows.
In 2017, he launched Heartbeat Health with a singular vision: build the modern infrastructure for cardiovascular care. Not a startup gimmick—but a clinician-led, tech-powered ecosystem designed to close America’s biggest care gaps.
His motto? “Don’t wait for the heart attack. Prevent it.”
Today, Heartbeat Health serves over 2 million covered lives, works with more than 100 employer groups, and has a nationwide network of over 500 cardiology providers. The platform is fully integrated with major health plans and third-party administrators.
The Employer Scale Revolution
The latest chapter in Heartbeat Health’s journey is its aggressive expansion into employer health programs. With the average cost of a cardiac event in the U.S. exceeding $50,000 per patient, companies are eager to catch and reduce risk early.
Heartbeat’s enterprise product includes:
- At-home or on-site biometric screenings for employees
- Digital heart risk assessments, customized by age, sex, and family history
- Virtual cardiology consults within 72 hours for those flagged at risk
- Ongoing remote monitoring, including wearable integrations
- Medication management and lifestyle coaching
One large tech firm using Heartbeat reported a 22% reduction in ER visits related to cardiovascular complaints within one year of rollout. Another employer flagged early-stage hypertension in over 600 employees, leading to proactive interventions.
Employers also get dashboard analytics, tracking engagement, risk trends, and potential cost avoidance across populations.
Technology + Trust: How the Platform Works
Heartbeat Health runs on a proprietary digital platform that includes:
- Tele-cardiology interface: Secure video consults, record-sharing, and diagnostics
- AI triage engine: Stratifies patient risk based on inputs, test results, and history
- Care coordination software: Schedules follow-ups, referrals, and remote testing
- Patient app: Allows users to track blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and meds
Patients are typically routed through the platform via workplace health campaigns, virtual wellness fairs, or referrals from a primary care provider.
Critically, the platform is cardiologist-first—not a chatbot or nurse triage tool. Patients interact with real MDs, with care plans personalized by region, insurance, and lifestyle.
Addressing a National Crisis
Heart disease kills nearly 700,000 Americans each year, and many more live with undiagnosed hypertension, atherosclerosis, or arrhythmias. Yet access to cardiologists is limited—especially in rural areas and Medicaid-dependent populations.
Heartbeat Health’s virtual model has proven especially effective in underserved ZIP codes, where travel time and provider shortages delay care.
In a recent Medicaid pilot across three Southern states, Heartbeat facilitated:
- 4,200 virtual cardiac screenings in six months
- Over 900 new hypertension diagnoses
- Direct referrals to local cardiologists and follow-up telemonitoring
- A 31% increase in preventive medication adherence
The Clinician’s Voice: A Rare Trait in Digital Health
Unlike many digital health CEOs who come from tech or finance, Dr. Wessler’s continued clinical practice gives Heartbeat an edge in credibility and implementation.
He understands the real workflows of physicians, the needs of patients navigating anxiety and chronic risk, and the inefficiencies of brick-and-mortar health systems.
“Our goal isn’t just to digitize cardiology,” Wessler says. “It’s to make cardiac care proactive, human, and available long before the first chest pain ever happens.”
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Heartbeat
With its national footprint now secured, Heartbeat Health is eyeing several new initiatives:
- Remote Cardiac Rehab: Helping patients recover from heart procedures at home
- Workplace Defibrillator Mapping: Leveraging location data to place AEDs in at-risk areas
- Predictive Analytics for Plan Sponsors: Modeling which employee populations carry the highest unseen risk
- Cardiology Subspecialty Telehealth: Including electrophysiology, heart failure, and lipidology
- Multilingual Access: Expanding services in Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Urdu
The company is also building partnerships with pharmacy chains, retail clinics, and lab providers to ensure its virtual services are backed by real-world diagnostics.
Conclusion: Cardiology, Without the Wait
Dr. Jeffrey Wessler and Heartbeat Health are redefining what it means to care for the heart in the 21st century—blending clinical excellence with digital access to catch disease early, treat it faster, and empower healthier lives.
As employers wrestle with rising healthcare costs and Americans continue to die from preventable heart conditions, Heartbeat offers a powerful antidote: virtual cardiology at scale, built by doctors, for everyone.
For millions of patients, the future of heart care isn’t in a hospital hallway—it’s one video visit away.