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Asha Tharakan, PA

Accepting New Patients

(360 Ratings)

Specializes in: Cardiology (Heart Disease)

Professional interests include: enlarged heart (cardiomegaly), bicuspid aortic valve disease, chest pain, and more.

9105 Franklin Square Drive Suite 209
Baltimore, MD 21237

(410) 574-1330

Asha Tharakan, PA is in Baltimore, MD specializing in cardiology (heart disease). Asha Tharakan, PA is affiliated with MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, MedStar Health and MEDSTAR MEDICAL GROUP II LLC.

Office Locations

Address:

9105 Franklin Square Drive Suite 209
Baltimore, MD 21237

Some issues Asha Tharakan, PA can help you with:

Heart Problems

The heart is one of the most important organs in the body. This smooth muscle expands and contracts rhythmically an entire lifetime, pumping blood to the lungs and then to every other cell in the body. When heart problems occur, it becomes difficult for the body to get the nutrients and oxygen it needs via the blood. So while there are a variety of illnesses and disorders that affect the heart, most of them cause weakness, exhaustion and shortness of breath. The most common heart conditions include heart disease, angina, arrhythmia, and valve disorders.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. This includes coronary artery disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease. Some conditions, such as genetics, cannot be controlled. But there are many other things one can do to lower their risk for heart disease. Controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing or stopping smoking, exercising more and losing weight if needed, and eating a diet low in sodium can all protect the heart.

Angina is a squeezing type of chest pain that happens when the muscles around the heart don't get enough oxygen. It can be regular or infrequent. Usually, angina is caused by coronary heart disease. However, not all chest pain is angina. Chest pain can also be caused by a lung infection or panic attack, for example, so it is important to have any sudden pain checked.

Arrhythmia is the word for when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or irregularly with skipped beats. It can feel frightening, and depending on the type it can be dangerous, but in most cases arrhythmia is not serious and can be treated. It is very common, especially in older adults.

Heart valve problems can happen in any one of the the heart's four valves that keep blood flowing where it needs to go. Babies can be born with problems in their heart valves, or valves can be damaged by infections. The valves can stiffen and become less mobile, or they can stop closing properly and 'leak' when the heart beats. Valve problems can usually be repaired surgically.

Lung Issues

Every cell in the body requires oxygen to function and produces carbon dioxide as a waste product. In order to keep the body's tissues constantly supplied with fresh oxygen and to keep waste from building up, the lungs pump air in and out, even while sleeping or unaware. Unfortunately, diseases and disorders affecting the lungs are some of the most common medical problems afflicting people around the world. Some of the most common lung problems include asthma, COPD, pneumonia, and lung cancer.

Asthma is a chronic disease where swollen, inflamed airways make it hard to breathe. It is often brought on by specific triggers. While asthma is a common condition, affecting millions of people, it can also be serious and even fatal in severe cases. Treatment involves avoiding triggers and using inhaled corticosteroid medications.

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is the name given to two illnesses that both cause difficulty breathing: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In emphysema, the air sacs of the lungs become damaged, while with bronchitis they become clogged with mucus. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. It is almost always caused by breathing irritants into the lungs, such as smoking or heavy pollution.

Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be caused by bacteria, a virus, or fungi. Most healthy people recover from pneumonia in a week or two, but for some people pneumonia can be fatal. There are treatments available for pneumonia, but the best treatment is to prevent getting sick in the first place. People who are at risk should make sure they get a flu shot every year. There is also a vaccine available for the type of bacteria that causes pneumonia.

Lung cancer occurs when abnormal cells inside the lung grow into a tumor, destroying healthy tissue. Because it is so difficult to detect lung cancer in early stages when it has few symptoms, it is the deadliest form of cancer, responsible for the most cancer deaths both in the U.S. and worldwide. Most lung cancer is caused by exposure to tobacco smoke, but between 10-15% of cases are not linked to smoking.

Some problems with the lungs are minor and are not cause for concern. However if symptoms have lasted for a month or more, even if they are minor, it is worth checking with a healthcare professional. A cough, shortness of breath, or excess mucus production that lingers for weeks are all worth getting looked at.

Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC)

Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is a device implantation procedure that reduces the risk of stroke for patients who have atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart beats out of rhythm. Atrial fibrillation causes blood to collect in the left atrial appendage, a small sac located in the top left chamber of the heart. The blood that collects in this appendage can form clots and cause stroke when pumped out of the heart.

To implant the device, a long, flexible tube, called a catheter, is inserted into a large vein in the groin and advanced to the heart. Once the tube reaches the left side of the heart, X-ray is used to guide a thinner catheter into the left atrial appendage. The tiny device is then passed through the tube and into the appendage. When the doctor has made sure it is in the right place, she takes the catheter out, and the procedure is completed.

This minimally invasive procedure usually requires a hospital stay of at least one day. Normal activities may be resumed within a few days. About 45 days following implantation, a test will be done to determine whether the device has closed the left atrial appendage. Check-ups have to be performed every year to make sure the device is in place.

hospital care	117
inpatient care	117

**Gender**
Male	24
Female	28

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	32
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	17
From 75 to 84	22
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	44
Asthma	21
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	29
Heart Failure	50
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	29
Diabetes	62
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

hospital care	256
inpatient care	256

**Gender**
Male	42
Female	44

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	51
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	26
From 75 to 84	31
85 and over	17
Less than 65	12

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	16
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	57
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	40
Heart Failure	59
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	22
Diabetes	52
Dementia	24
Cancer	19

emergency care	10
hospital care	92
inpatient care	92

**Gender**
Male	38
Female	78

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	0
Black	58
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	0
From 75 to 84	42
85 and over	32
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	22
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	59
Asthma	26
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	34
Heart Failure	67
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	40
Diabetes	55
Dementia	31
Cancer	22

doctor visit	27

**Gender**
Male	21
Female	26

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	0
Black	25
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	0
From 75 to 84	23
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	0
Chronic Kidney Disease	51
Asthma	28
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	40
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	0
Diabetes	62
Dementia	0
Cancer	32

**Gender**
Male	42
Female	52

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	47
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	40
From 75 to 84	36
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	70
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	15
Chronic Kidney Disease	48
Asthma	15
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	17
Heart Failure	34
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	20
Diabetes	56
Dementia	0
Cancer	19

doctor visit	9

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	75
Depression	0
Chronic Kidney Disease	71
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	0
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	0
Diabetes	52
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

doctor visit	175

**Gender**
Male	82
Female	88

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	151
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	60
From 75 to 84	53
85 and over	43
Less than 65	14

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	71
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	45
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	45
Heart Failure	49
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	28
Diabetes	41
Dementia	13
Cancer	15

doctor visit	188

**Gender**
Male	123
Female	149

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	239
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	95
From 75 to 84	100
85 and over	55
Less than 65	22

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	74
Depression	22
Chronic Kidney Disease	50
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	6
Atrial Fibrilation	40
Heart Failure	38
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	22
Diabetes	42
Dementia	11
Cancer	15

doctor visit	337

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Asha Tharakan, PA for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Asha Tharakan, PA treated as in Baltimore, MD were hospital care, inpatient care, stress testing and cardiac procedures.

cardiac procedures	24
doctor visit	137
emergency care	10
hospital care	155
inpatient care	155
stress testing	24

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Asha Tharakan, PA.

**Gender**
Male	37
Female	46

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	8
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	52
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	30
85 and over	14
Less than 65	4
65 to 74	23

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Asha Tharakan, PA From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Asha Tharakan, PA treated were high cholesterol, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and chronic kidney disease.

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	59
Depression	14
Chronic Kidney Disease	42
Asthma	11
Osteoporosis	1
Heart Failure	33
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	16
Diabetes	42
Atrial Fibrillation	20
Cancer	12
Dementia	7

Education & Training

She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Physician Assistant and has a state license in Maryland.

Board Certification: National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Physician Assistant

Licensed In: Maryland

Affiliations & Hospitals

Asha Tharakan, PA is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center

MedStar Health

MEDSTAR MEDICAL GROUP II LLC

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Asha Tharakan, PA appears to accept the following insurance providers: CIGNA Choice Fund PPO, MAMSI, First Health PPO, Blue Choice, Golden Rule, Great-West Healthcare, TRICARE, Community Care Network (CCN), Coventry, TRICARE Reserve Select, Aetna Managed Choice POS, Aetna HMO, Kaiser Select, Kaiser Permanente, CIGNA EPO, Aetna Medicare PPO, CIGNA Indemnity, AmeriHealth, AARP, Medicare Advantage, Coventry National Network PPO, Amerigroup, United Healthcare, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, Virginia Premier Health Plan, WellPoint, Aetna, CIGNA Network Open Access, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), HealthyBlue PPO, MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice, CareFirst NASCO, CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO, Traditional Medicare Fee for Service, United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO), Innovation Health: Open POS Plus, MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families, Carefirst EPO, Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus, United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program, CareFirst Administrators, United Student Resources, United Select HMO - EPO/NPP, United MD IPA Preferred (POS), United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO), Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP), Innovation Health: Network Only Plus, United MD IPA (HMO), United Choice Plus, CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans), Innovation Health: PPO, HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO, MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance, United Choice, United Optimum Choice, Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus), Innovation Health: POS, Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS), Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus, United Select Plus (POS), CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced, United Erickson Advantage Plans, Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice, Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS), Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN), D-SNP), I-SNP, CareFirst MedStar PPO, CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity, United Core Essential (HMO), Innovation Health: POS Plus, HumanaChoice PPO, United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP, Innovation Health: Open POS II, Innovation Health: Indemnity, United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose, Veterans Affairs Community Care Network, United Navigate, Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO, Police and Fire Clinic and CareFirst MedStar Select PPO.

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Asha Tharakan, PA accepts the following insurance providers:

CIGNA Choice Fund PPO

MAMSI

First Health PPO

Blue Choice

Golden Rule

Great-West Healthcare

TRICARE

Community Care Network (CCN)

Coventry

TRICARE Reserve Select

Aetna Managed Choice POS

Aetna HMO

Kaiser Select

Kaiser Permanente

CIGNA EPO

Aetna Medicare PPO

CIGNA Indemnity

AmeriHealth

AARP

Medicare Advantage

Coventry National Network PPO

Amerigroup

United Healthcare

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

Virginia Premier Health Plan

WellPoint

Aetna

CIGNA Network Open Access

Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)

HealthyBlue PPO

MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice

CareFirst NASCO

CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO

Traditional Medicare Fee for Service

United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)

Innovation Health: Open POS Plus

MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families

Carefirst EPO

Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus

United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program

CareFirst Administrators

United Student Resources

United Select HMO - EPO/NPP

United MD IPA Preferred (POS)

United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)

Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP)

Innovation Health: Network Only Plus

United MD IPA (HMO)

United Choice Plus

CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)

Innovation Health: PPO

HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO

MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance

United Choice

United Optimum Choice

Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)

Innovation Health: POS

Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)

Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus

United Select Plus (POS)

CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced

United Erickson Advantage Plans

Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice

Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)

Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)

D-SNP)

I-SNP

CareFirst MedStar PPO

CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity

United Core Essential (HMO)

Innovation Health: POS Plus

HumanaChoice PPO

United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP

Innovation Health: Open POS II

Innovation Health: Indemnity

United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose

Veterans Affairs Community Care Network

United Navigate

Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO

Police and Fire Clinic

CareFirst MedStar Select PPO

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Ratings & Reviews

Asha Tharakan, PA has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 360 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Asha Tharakan, PA from all over the web to help you find the right in Baltimore, MD.

4.7

Overall Rating