Sabrina Cuddy • June 28, 2023
July is about COE Care at the HCMA

What is a Center of Excellence (COE)? 

A Center of Excellence is a team of specialists who come together to provide high-quality care to patients with a specific disease using accepted best practices. It is common for medical facilities to seek COE status if they have a team working with a particular disease, such as Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, or, of course, HCM.

The HCMA created the “HCMA Recognized Centers of Excellence” program in 2004. This program ensures that the services and procedures offered at recognized COEs align with current best practices for managing patients with HCM. Centers must use a team approach to care, including HCM specialist cardiologists, genetic counselors, imaging specialists, and more. In addition, a COE has up-to-date equipment and scanning protocols, with technicians trained to get the right angles during your testing. 

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiologists support this model of care in their best practice guidelines for HCM, 2020. 

For a list of centers, please visit our website at  https://4hcm.org/center-of-excellence/. You can also see the criteria used in the review of these programs. We currently recognize COEs in the United States, but we can often recommend somewhere for you to go if you are in another country – please contact us for more information. The HCMA continues to grow new programs and evaluate them for COE status. We want you to have COE care near your home.

We also offer need-based travel grants to help people get the best care for HCM. Call us at 973-983-7429 and ask about the Lori Fund, or apply on our website.  https://secure.4hcm.org/forms/lori-fund-scholarship   The Lori Fund can reimburse you for gas, airfare, hotel, and food up to $600 annually to help you get to a Center of Excellence. 

HCMA Blog

Medical Management May

April 30, 2025
Medical Management means using medicines and other non-invasive therapies to relieve symptoms. It's exciting that new treatments for HCM are being studied and that the FDA approved Camzyos in 2022! HCM can cause various symptoms depending on how stiff the heart is, how much scarring (fibrosis) there is, and whether there is obstruction. Some people have no noticeable symptoms. Common symptoms are chest pain/pressure, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, fatigue, palpitations, and brain fog. Syncope (fainting) is dramatic but not as common as the other symptoms. Medications are the first-line treatment for symptoms of HCM. If patients can't take one class of medication, they can try a medication from a different class. Here are some medications used to treat HCM and what they're for: Beta Blockers - make your heart beat slower and relax better. They allow the heart to fill more completely between beats. They can lower blood pressure and relieve symptoms. Calcium Channel Blockers - used to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. May reduce symptoms from obstruction in HCM. Myosin Inhibitors - cause the heart to beat with less force. They may reduce obstruction and septal thickness in some patients. Camzyos (mavacamten) is the first of this class of medication. For more information, click HERE . Antiarrhythmics - help to restore normal rhythm in the heart. Blood Thinners - anticoagulants and anti-platelets make it harder for blood to clot. They are prescribed to reduce the risk of stroke. This risk is higher in patients with afib, aflutter, and artificial heart valves. Diuretics , or "water pills," help the kidneys get rid of extra water and salt, reducing swelling in the body. Sodium Channel Blockers - may reduce gradient in obstructive HCM and can treat chest pain. Some also act as antiarrhythmics. Antibiotics - treat or prevent bacterial infections. In HCM, they may be given before dental work to prevent infective endocarditis. To learn more and see the side effects of these medications, click HERE .
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