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Cardiology Practice Model: Ownership Without the Headaches
For many mid‑career cardiologists, the traditional practice choices can feel limiting. On one side is hospital employment, with its layers of oversight and limited control. Another is private practice, where you often handle administrative tasks while trying to grow the business. Another is locums work, which offers flexibility but often lacks stability, continuity, and a true sense of belonging.
VitalSolution offers something different: a fourth path that blends autonomy with support, independence with stability, and clinical leadership with a meaningful role in shaping a hospital’s cardiovascular service line. It’s a model built for cardiologists who want to practice at a high level, build real relationships, and still have a life outside of work. And for many physicians, it feels like ownership.
Practice Ownership Benefits Without Administrative Burden
“VitalSolution has carved out a great niche for people who don’t want the traditional hospital employee model or private practice model, but don’t want to be a journeyman doing locums one place after another,” explains Thaddeus R. Tolleson, MD, FACC, who worked in Del Rio, Texas, with VitalSolution before joining Beauregard Health System in DeRidder, Louisiana, in 2023.
I feel like this is my practice. I am the sole person in charge of this program. And while I don’t have a boss, I have the support of the hospital administration and the VitalSolution team.
Himachal Veligandla, MD
VitalSolution’s model offers:
- A feeling of ownership without administrative burden
- Leadership without bureaucracy
- Continuity without burnout
- Flexibility without instability
- Community impact without the constraints of traditional employment
“I feel like this is my practice,” says interventional cardiologist Himachal Veligandla, MD, who has practiced at Middlesboro ARH Hospital in rural Kentucky for four years. “I am the sole person in charge of this program. And while I don’t have a boss, I have the support of the hospital administration and the VitalSolution team. That makes you feel better than working under somebody.”
In a town of 9,000 people, “Dr. V” is the only interventional cardiologist. The next closest is at least an hour away.
Long-Term Community Impact, Not Just a Stopgap
One of the biggest frustrations of locums work is the lack of continuity. VitalSolution flips that dynamic. Physicians stay in one community for years, building relationships with patients, staff, and hospital leadership. Unlike locum tenens roles, VitalSolution physicians are deeply integrated into their hospitals. They aren’t temporary coverage; they are the cardiology program.
VitalSolution physicians consistently describe the model as the best of both worlds: the independence of private practice without the headaches of running one.
Because you’re working at the same place for years, you’re able to develop relationships with patients and have continuity of care.
Thaddeus R. Tolleson, MD, FACC
Dr. Tolleson serves as director of cardiology at his hospital in Louisiana, where he helped secure STEMI Receiving Center certification. “I worked with the hospital to complete the application and get it approved,” he says. “We’re the smallest hospital in Louisiana that’s a designated primary receiving center for STEMIs. Our benchmarks here beat the national benchmarks.”
This level of leadership is common across VitalSolution sites. Physicians review policies, guide service line strategy, and collaborate directly with CEOs and administrators.
“Because you’re working at the same place for years, you’re able to develop relationships with patients and have continuity of care,” says Dr. Tolleson. “You also develop long‑term relationships with the cath lab staff and other physicians. You have the same collegiality as you would if employed by the hospital or in private practice.”
For Dr. Veligandla, the impact has been dramatic. When he arrived, the hospital performed about 50 cases a year. Today, they perform 200 to 250 cases annually. Patients who once traveled to Knoxville or Lexington now receive care close to home. When it comes to cardiac care, that matters. The hospital plans to add more nurse practitioners to the care team to help handle the increased volume.
This is not locums work; it’s a long‑term partnership.
A Schedule That Supports Life Outside Medicine
For many cardiologists, the VitalSolution model offers something increasingly rare: time.
“The biggest perk is knowing that I don’t have to go out and hustle my own schedule. I don’t have to find places to work and negotiate my contract every time,” Dr. Tolleson explains.
Dr. Veligandla adds, “VitalSolution is your mediator. Whenever I have a problem, I call my supervisor, and she handles it.”
Cardiologists work two weeks on, followed by two weeks off. For Dr. Tolleson, this means he has half the year to pursue personal interests, including leading a two‑week medical mission to Cambodia each year.
“I’ve practiced medicine for nearly 30 years and want to continue doing it, but on my schedule and at my pace,” he says. “The VitalSolution model is perfect. It allows me to pursue other interests and have a much more balanced life.”
For physicians in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who want meaningful work without sacrificing personal priorities, this balance is transformative.
Dr. Veligandla, now 62, explains, “I’ve been working for VitalSolution for 12 years now. Thanks to this flexible schedule, I plan to work another six years or seven years because I truly enjoy the work that I’m doing.”
How the Practice Model Works
The VitalSolution team coordinates housing, travel, credentialing, and logistics. Physicians focus on practicing medicine—not chasing contracts or managing operations.
“VitalSolution is basically turnkey for me,” Dr. Tolleson says. “They provide housing, reimburse your mileage, arrange airfare and rental cars. There’s no out‑of‑pocket expense for us. It’s really nice to have a whole team of professionals that handles everything related to housing and travel.”
Is This Cardiology Career Path Right for You?
This model works best for mid-career and late-career cardiologists who want:
- Clinical autonomy without administrative work
- Long-term community relationships
- Meaningful work-life balance
- Leadership opportunities in cardiovascular programs
If you’re looking for a cardiology practice model that combines the best parts of private practice, hospital employment, and locums work, VitalSolution can help you explore your options.
