The physicians who practice at Southern Medical Group chose this path deliberately. Many trained at major academic centers, completed fellowships at institutions like Cleveland Clinic, Duke, and Emory, then made a conscious decision to build their careers in a community practice where they could deliver high-volume, high-acuity care without the bureaucracy of large health systems. The result is a team with academic pedigrees practicing in an environment that values efficiency, autonomy, and outcomes over publications and committees.
When you join this group, you inherit a built-in referral network across subspecialties. The interventional cardiologist who will take your catheterization referral works down the hall. The electrophysiologist managing your patient's atrial fibrillation shares the call schedule. The vascular surgeon evaluating your patient's peripheral disease is part of the same practice. This integration eliminates the friction that plagues fragmented cardiovascular programs and allows you to focus on patient care rather than coordinating across competing interests.
The non-invasive section includes physicians at various career stages, from those who joined within the last several years to senior partners with decades of experience in the community. Dr. Ernesto Umana serves as the recruitment lead for non-invasive positions and conducts initial conversations with candidates. Dr. Gregory Hartlage, Vice President of Southern Medical Group, provides physician leadership and has deep roots in Tallahassee, having grown up in the area and chosen to raise his family here.
The general cardiologists handle the full breadth of outpatient cardiovascular care: preventive cardiology, heart failure management, arrhythmia evaluation, pre-procedural assessment, and diagnostic imaging interpretation. Advanced imaging capabilities include cardiac MRI and cardiac CT, with formal fellowship training preferred for independent interpretation.
General Cardiologists (Tallahassee):
Advanced Imaging Cardiologists:
Panama City Beach:
Heart Failure:
The interventional section includes five cardiologists performing the full range of coronary and peripheral interventions. Dr. Thomas Noel provides medical director leadership, and Dr. William Dixon has developed particular expertise in critical limb ischemia and advanced peripheral interventions. The group performs complex procedures including chronic total occlusion interventions, deep venous arterialization (DETOUR and LimFlow systems), and structural heart procedures.
The interventionalists do not burden the non-invasive physicians with general call responsibilities. STEMI activations and acute interventional needs are handled by the interventional team, allowing non-invasive physicians to focus on their scope of practice.
Interventional Cardiologists:
The Heart Rhythm Clinic operates as the first and only dedicated EP clinic in North Florida. Three electrophysiologists manage the full spectrum of arrhythmia care, from diagnostic evaluation through complex ablation procedures. Dr. Venkata Bavikati chairs the EP section and recently performed one of the first FARAPULSE pulsed field ablation cases in Florida. The EP physicians share weekend coverage responsibilities with the non-invasive team, functioning in a non-invasive capacity on their assigned weekends.
Electrophysiologists:
Southern Medical Group employs its own vascular surgeons, a distinctive arrangement that emerged when Tallahassee Memorial sought to establish an independent vascular surgery presence separate from the competing private practice group in town. The relationship between cardiology and vascular surgery is genuinely collaborative; the interventional cardiologists and vascular surgeons regularly consult on complex cases and perform combined procedures for limb salvage and critical limb ischemia.
Vascular Surgeons:
Each partner physician employs their own advanced practice provider, creating approximately 28 APPs across the cardiology practice. This model differs from shared APP pools common in hospital employment; your APP works directly for you, manages your panel, and extends your capacity without diluting the physician-patient relationship. New physicians typically practice without an APP during their initial year while building volume to support the additional salary, though the infrastructure exists to add an APP once production justifies the expense.
Beyond APPs, the practice maintains nursing staff, medical assistants, and administrative support at each clinical location. The Heart Rhythm Clinic, Heart Failure Clinic, and main cardiology offices each operate with dedicated support teams. Billing, coding, and practice management functions are handled centrally, allowing physicians to focus on clinical care rather than administrative overhead.
Southern Medical Group includes 16 internal medicine physicians who provide a reliable referral stream for cardiovascular services. This built-in primary care network ensures consistent patient flow and facilitates communication between referring physicians and cardiologists within the same organizational structure.
Internal Medicine Physicians:
The physicians who stay at Southern Medical Group describe a culture of mutual respect and clinical collaboration. When you have a question about a complex case, colleagues are accessible and willing to discuss. The interventional cardiologists will review your catheterization referrals and provide honest assessments. The EP physicians will help manage your difficult arrhythmia patients. This collegiality extends to coverage; physicians provide thorough sign-out and respect boundaries during off-time.
Recent departures have created the staffing challenges that generated this opening, but those departures reflect factors beyond practice satisfaction: spouse career opportunities, family circumstances, and in some cases, frustration with hospital leadership rather than the physician group itself. The physicians who remain are committed to rebuilding and have successfully advocated for improved compensation structures to support recruitment.
The group you would join has weathered challenges and emerged with a clear vision for the future. The governance structure is solid, the clinical capabilities are comprehensive, and the colleagues are invested in each other's success. What remains is finding physicians who recognize the opportunity and want to be part of building something lasting.