Nihar Desai, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)Cards
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)
Biography
Nihar R. Desai, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Vice Chief of the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, an Investigator at the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, and Executive Director for Bundled Payments and Clinical Service Line Operations at the Yale New Haven Health System. His interests focus on cardiovascular health services and comparative effectiveness research, examining patterns of care, identifying opportunities to improve clinical outcomes, and evaluating the impact of novel care delivery systems on cost and quality. In addition, he serves as a clinical consultant on the CMS acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery readmission and mortality measures. He graduated with highest honors from Lehigh University before completing an internship in the Clinton White House. He then attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he received his Doctorate in Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health where he received his Master’s in Public Health. Dr. Desai completed his residency training in Internal Medicine as well as his clinical fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He then completed a research fellowship at the TIMI Study Group with Dr. Eugene Braunwald. His scholarly work has been published in New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Circulation, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Appointments
Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Professor on TermPrimaryInstitution for Social and Policy Studies
Associate Professor on TermSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Center for Biomedical Data Science
- Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation (CORE)
- Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator (CTRA)
- Institution for Social and Policy Studies
- Internal Medicine
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Fellowship
- Brigham & Women's Hospital (2013)
- Residency
- Brigham & Women's Hospital (2009)
- MD
- University of Connecticut School of Medicine (2006)
- MPH
- Harvard School of Public Health (2005)
Research
Publications
2025
Accountable Care Organization Participation and Cardiovascular Care Quality
Spatz E, Oddleifson D, Kayani J, Gosch K, Jones P, Doshi R, Maddox T, Desai N. Accountable Care Organization Participation and Cardiovascular Care Quality. JAMA Cardiology 2025, 10: 545-554. PMID: 40172907, PMCID: PMC11966472, DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2025.0381.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMedicare Shared Savings ProgramMedicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care OrganizationsAccountable care organizationsAccountable care organization participationOutpatient cardiology practicesImplantable cardioverter defibrillator useCare qualityDefibrillator useNon-ACO practicesCardiology practiceQuality measuresImprove care qualityPre-post cohort studyPractice participationBlood pressure controlGroup of Medicare beneficiariesShared Savings ProgramCoronary artery diseaseQuality performance scoresAssociated with differential changesTraditional Medicare patientsARB prescriptionCare organizationsAntiplatelet prescriptionArtery diseaseImpact of Statin Intensity on Lower Extremity Revascularization Outcomes in a Tertiary Care Center
Carter W, Wells N, Alameddine D, Possick S, Hurtado C, Desai N, Chaar C. Impact of Statin Intensity on Lower Extremity Revascularization Outcomes in a Tertiary Care Center. Journal Of Vascular Surgery 2025, 81: e224-e226. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2025.03.380.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMEDICARE AND MEDICAID UTILIZATION AND ASSOCIATED SPENDING ON SGLT2 INHIBITORS AND GLP1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS
Fernandes W, Bansal K, Fernandes B, rahman I, Riello R, Faridi K, Ahmad T, Desai N. MEDICARE AND MEDICAID UTILIZATION AND ASSOCIATED SPENDING ON SGLT2 INHIBITORS AND GLP1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS. Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology 2025, 85: 544. DOI: 10.1016/s0735-1097(25)01028-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSteroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Side Effects and Reasons for Discontinuation: A Patient Survey (RELICS-PS)
Richard E, Stephenson J, Desai N, Willey V, Gay A, Scott C, Folkerts K, Pessina E, Singh R, Teng C, Oberprieler N. Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Side Effects and Reasons for Discontinuation: A Patient Survey (RELICS-PS). Pragmatic And Observational Research 2025, 16: 121-127. PMID: 40196209, PMCID: PMC11974567, DOI: 10.2147/por.s489802.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonistsSide effectsMineralocorticoid receptor antagonistsHealthcare provider recommendationReceptor antagonistPatient toleranceTreatment patternsPast usersTreatment optionsMale gynecomastiaEligible patientsProvider recommendationPharmacy claimsPatientsResearch DatabaseMedication effectsMedical claimsPatient surveyHealthcare providersChronic conditionsTreatmentPatient perspectiveProvider decision-making processesElectronic health record nudges to optimize guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure
Fuery M, Clark K, Sikand N, Tabtabai S, Sen S, Wilson F, Desai N, Ahmad T, Samsky M. Electronic health record nudges to optimize guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure. Heart Failure Reviews 2025, 30: 771-776. PMID: 40106122, DOI: 10.1007/s10741-025-10503-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsElectronic health recordsClinical decision supportGuideline-directed medical therapyPotential of electronic health recordsElectronic health record systemsDiverse healthcare settingsGDMT adherenceCare qualityClinician workflowHealth recordsAlert contentHF careHealthcare settingsPatient careInformed treatment decisionsTargeted alertingQuality gapEnhanced usabilityImprove heart failureHeart failureDecision supportReal-timeCareTreatment decisionsAlerting strategyCardiovascular Event Prevalence in Type 1 Versus Type 2 Diabetes: Veradigm Metabolic Registry Insights
Goldsweig A, Knee A, Tak H, Desai N, Bradley S, Lotfi A, Spertus J, Goldsweig B. Cardiovascular Event Prevalence in Type 1 Versus Type 2 Diabetes: Veradigm Metabolic Registry Insights. Journal Of The Society For Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions 2025, 4: 102502. PMID: 40231053, PMCID: PMC11993881, DOI: 10.1016/j.jscai.2024.102502.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIncident cardiovascular eventsPrevalence ratiosDiabetes mellitus type 1Risk of incident cardiovascular eventsCardiovascular diseaseCardiovascular eventsPrimary carePercutaneous coronary interventionMyocardial infarctionType 2 diabetesOutpatient facilitiesEvent prevalenceLimb ischemiaCoronary interventionAge categoriesStudy populationDM2 patientsRisk factorsHemoglobin A1cCarePrevalencePeripheral revascularizationInterventionComorbiditiesDM2Treatment Patterns, Adverse Events, and Clinical Outcomes with Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists: A Retrospective Analysis of Administrative Claims Data (RELICS)
Richard E, Desai N, Willey V, Gay A, Scott C, Folkerts K, Pessina E, Singh R, Teng C, Oberprieler N. Treatment Patterns, Adverse Events, and Clinical Outcomes with Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists: A Retrospective Analysis of Administrative Claims Data (RELICS). Pragmatic And Observational Research 2025, 16: 27-37. PMID: 40034401, PMCID: PMC11873017, DOI: 10.2147/por.s489791.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonistsChronic kidney diseaseMineralocorticoid receptor antagonistsOdds of discontinuationAdverse eventsClinical outcomesTreatment patternsDocumented HFReceptor antagonistHeart failureRate of treatment discontinuationComorbidity burdenClinical outcomes of patientsAnalysis of treatment patternsDays of discontinuationOutcomes of patientsRetrospective cohort studyHealth plan disenrollmentHeightened cardiovascular riskMultivariate logistic regressionDays of initiationCardiologist prescribingCohort of adultsRestarting treatmentTreatment discontinuationTen‐Year Medicare Use and Spending on the 10 Drugs Selected for Negotiation Under the Inflation Reduction Act
Essa M, Ross J, Dhruva S, Desai N, Spatz E, Faridi K. Ten‐Year Medicare Use and Spending on the 10 Drugs Selected for Negotiation Under the Inflation Reduction Act. Journal Of The American Heart Association 2025, 14: e034682. PMID: 39846298, PMCID: PMC12074754, DOI: 10.1161/jaha.124.034682.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMedicare Coverage and Patient Out-of-Pocket Costs for Mavacamten
Bansal K, Chien C, Masri A, Riello R, Ahmad T, Desai N, Dani S. Medicare Coverage and Patient Out-of-Pocket Costs for Mavacamten. Circulation Cardiovascular Quality And Outcomes 2025, 18: e011331. PMID: 39817331, DOI: 10.1161/circoutcomes.124.011331.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMechanical Circulatory Support in Patients Without Cardiogenic Shock Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Miller P, Gordon A, Liu Y, Ahmad T, Bromfield S, Girotra S, Davila C, Crawford G, Whitney J, Desai N. Mechanical Circulatory Support in Patients Without Cardiogenic Shock Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. Journal Of The American Heart Association 2025, 14: e037424. PMID: 39791394, PMCID: PMC12054512, DOI: 10.1161/jaha.124.037424.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMicroaxial left ventricular assist deviceIntra-aortic balloon pump usePercutaneous coronary interventionIntra-aortic balloon pumpBalloon pump useCardiogenic shockLeft ventricular assist deviceTotal health care costsIndex admissionBalloon pumpIncident dialysisHealth care costsCoronary interventionAssociated with lower mortalityPump useLVAD useHigh-risk percutaneous coronary interventionAssociated with higher costsInverse probability treatmentCare costsMechanical circulatory supportInsured populationSecondary outcomesPrimary outcomeRetrospective study
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Pragmatic Trial Of Alerts for Use of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists (PROMPT-MRA)
HIC ID2000030513RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/01/2023Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18+ years
Clinical Care
Overview
Nihar Desai, MD, MPH, is a cardiovascular medicine specialist, treating patients with complex cardiovascular conditions, including acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, valvular heart disease, and arrhythmias.
Dr. Desai’s research explores opportunities to improve the quality of care, the impact of decision support tools on care patterns, and how different models of care affect quality, outcomes, and cost of care. He leads clinical trials and real world studies using administrative and clinical datasets to conduct hypothesis driven research of importance to patients, providers, payers, and policymakers.
Dr. Desai is an associate professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine.
Clinical Specialties
News
News
- October 24, 2024
New Analytics Center for Cardiovascular Medicine
- July 24, 2024
Yale Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Promotions and Appointments (July 2024)
- April 01, 2024
Yale Faculty Present Groundbreaking Clinical Research at the 2024 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions
- March 29, 2024Source: The New York Times
Heart Pump Is Linked to 49 Deaths, the F.D.A. Warns
Get In Touch
Contacts
Cardiovascular Medicine
15 York Street, PO Box 208017
New Haven, CT 06520-8017
United States
Administrative Support
Locations
Patient Care Locations
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