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About Me
Although I enjoy caring for all cardiac patients, my special interests include patients born with heart defects and now adults, pregnancy with heart disease, and valvular heart disease. In addition, I am interested in keeping people healthy and avoiding heart disease as much as possible.
- Associate Professor of Medicine, Medicine, Cardiology 2023
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Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews are based on patient responses to the overall provider rating question from the survey. The question reads: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?” Responses are converted to a 5-point rating system and applied consistently to all providers. Learn more about our survey process. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.
Training and Education
Clinical Focus and Research
My research spans a wide range of topics in cardiovascular medicine, including medical imaging-related projects and cardiac rehabilitation, exercise physiology, and aging. However, my most intense focus has been heart failure, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a relatively recently recognized clinical entity that is rapidly increasing and for which the pathophysiology and treatment are not well understood.
- Upadhya, Bharathi. The Aging Cardiovascular System Hazzard's, Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. McGraw-Hill., 2022.
- Upadhya, Bharathi. Effects of Aging on Cardiovascular Structure and Function. McGraw-Hill, 2017.
- Upadhya, Bharathi. The Atlas of Cardiovascular Emergencies: Transthoracic Echocardiography For Emergency medicine. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2015.
- Pewowaruk, Ryan, Byron C. Jaeger, Timothy M. Hughes, Bharathi Upadhya, Dalane W. Kitzman, Mark A. Supiano, and Adam D. Gepner. “Effects of Blood Pressure Control on Arterial Stiffness Mechanisms in SPRINT: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Hypertension, April 22, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.124.24816.
- Upadhya, Bharathi, Peter H. Brubaker, Barbara J. Nicklas, Denise K. Houston, Mark J. Haykowsky, and Dalane W. Kitzman. “Long-term Changes in Body Composition and Exercise Capacity Following Calorie Restriction and Exercise Training in Older Patients with Obesity and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.” J Card Fail 31, no. 3 (March 2025): 497–507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cardfail.2024.06.007.
- Upadhya, Bharathi, and Dalane W. Kitzman. “Mechanisms of Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction in Cardiometabolic HFpEF and Its Reversal With Exercise Training.” JACC Basic Transl Sci 9, no. 12 (December 2024): 1426–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacbts.2024.10.009.
- Aparna, Fnu, Nicholas Pajewski, Dalane Kitzman, Bharathi Upadhya, Anthony Killeen, Sanjay Rajagopalan, Jackson Wright, Mahboob Rahman, and Mirela Dobre. “MO094: Intensive Blood Pressure Lowering and Myocardial Fibrosis Biomarkers in Individuals With and Without CKD: Results From the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (Sprint).” In Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Vol. 37. Oxford University Press (OUP), 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfac133.015.
- Annabathula, Rahul, Vanya Aggarwal, Bharathi Upadhya, and Thomas Lycan. “IMMUNE CHECKPOINT INHIBITOR-INDUCED AORTITIS TREATED WITH TOCILIZUMAB.” In Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 79:2208–2208. Elsevier BV, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0735-1097(22)03199-0.
- Patel, Nikhil, Travis Skipina, Bharathi Upadhya, and Elsayed Soliman. “Abstract 11657: Cannabis Use is Associated With Abnormal P-wave Axis.” In Circulation, Vol. 144. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), 2021. https://doi.org/10.1161/circ.144.suppl_1.11657.
Insurance Accepted
Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.
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Aetna
- Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
- Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS
- Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
- Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
- Aetna Open Choice PPO
- Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
- Aetna Select HMO
- Aetna Traditional Choice
- Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
- Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
- Aetna/CVS Health
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Ambetter
- Ambetter of North Carolina
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Advantage
- Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
- Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
- Blue Select
- NC State Employees Health Plan
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
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Cigna
- Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
- Cigna Choice Plus
- Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
- Cigna Open Access
- Cigna Open Access Plus
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*Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
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Duke Group Plans
- Duke Basic
- Duke Select
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Experience Health
- Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
- Gateway Health Alliance
- Healthgram
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Humana
- Humana Choice (PPO)
- Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
- Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
- MedCost
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Medicare
- First Medicare Direct
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
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NC Medicaid
- AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
- Carolina Complete Health
- Healthy Blue
- NC Medicaid Direct
- WellCare of North Carolina
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TRICARE
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Prime Remote
- TRICARE Select
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United Healthcare
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
- AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
- All Savers Alternate Funding
- All Savers Fully Insured
- United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)**
- United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
- United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
- United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
- United Healthcare Option PPO
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
- United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
- United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.
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**Duke Health does not participate in UHC plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.