Practice Information
San Diego Cardiologist, Dr. Damian Rasch, D.O.
I'm a board-certified invasive cardiologist caring for patients across San Diego. I see patients at two offices: the Ximed building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus, and in Encinitas in coastal North County. My hospital work happens at Scripps Memorial La Jolla, home of the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute. This page explains how care works if you live in the city of San Diego and how to decide whether I'm the right cardiologist for you. For scheduling, billing, or insurance questions, my practice is San Diego Cardiovascular Associates: (760) 944-7300.
How I Care for San Diego Patients
If you live in the city, the La Jolla office is probably your visit location. It sits in the Ximed building at 9850 Genesee Ave, Suite 780, on the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus, right off I-5 and Genesee. Office visit, hospital-based testing, and any procedure all happen within the same few hundred yards. My second office is in Encinitas, in coastal North County, if that's closer to you.
Wherever you're seen, the care model is the same. I keep my panel intentionally small so first visits run 45 to 60 minutes and you see the same physician every time. I perform diagnostic cardiac catheterization at Scripps Memorial La Jolla, and the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute on that campus is one of the most capable cardiac centers on the West Coast. There's no handoff between a clinic doctor and a hospital doctor; you stay under my care across both settings.
On credentials: I've received the San Diego Top Doctor Award for Cardiology in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, a designation voted by San Diego County physicians. I mention it here for one reason. When you're choosing a cardiologist, you deserve some evidence beyond a website's say-so.
The front office consolidates trips when it helps: consultation, in-office testing, and scheduling of Scripps-based studies get stacked so you're not making a separate drive for every step.
What San Diego Patients Come to Me For
Second Opinions
You've been told you need a procedure, a lifelong medication, or that "everything looks fine" when you don't feel fine. A structured second opinion reviews your actual images and tracings, not just the reports, and gives you an independent read on whether the recommendation fits your situation.
Preventive Cardiology & Risk Assessment
Advanced lipid testing including lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B, coronary calcium scoring, and a prevention plan built around your family history and your life. The best cardiac events are the ones that never happen, and prevention works best when it starts five to ten years before symptoms would.
AI-Enhanced Cardiac Imaging
I integrate computer-assisted interpretation of echocardiograms, stress tests, and coronary calcium scans where it sharpens the read. Several San Diego patients found me through my articles on this and wanted their own studies looked at with these tools.
Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization
Performed at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. Direct visualization of the coronary arteries and measurement of intracardiac pressures, for when noninvasive testing leaves the picture incomplete. If findings call for a stent or other intervention, I coordinate the handoff to an interventional colleague on the same campus.
Arrhythmia & AFib Care
Palpitations, atrial fibrillation, and rhythm questions of every kind. Workups use ambulatory monitoring you wear at home, so distance doesn't slow the diagnosis. When ablation or a Watchman device is on the table, the electrophysiology work happens at Scripps.
Heart Failure & Complex Cases
Patients with reduced or preserved ejection fraction, valve disease, or several overlapping conditions who want one physician holding the whole picture across office and hospital settings.
The Scripps La Jolla Connection
This is the piece that makes distance work. I hold staff privileges at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas. The La Jolla campus includes the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute, a dedicated cardiovascular hospital with advanced catheterization labs, cardiac MRI and CT, electrophysiology, and cardiac surgery under one roof.
If you live in La Jolla, UTC, Carmel Valley, Clairemont, Pacific Beach, or anywhere along the I-5 corridor, that campus is likely closer to you than to me. Your echocardiogram, stress test, cath, or admission happens there, under my care, and your office follow-up happens in Encinitas. Same physician on both sides. No handoff between a "clinic doctor" and a "hospital doctor."
Neighborhoods I See Patients From
La Jolla & UTC
Home turf. My La Jolla office is in the Ximed building on the Scripps Memorial campus at Genesee and I-5, and everything hospital-based happens next door. If you're in La Jolla or UTC, office visit and testing can happen on the same campus, sometimes the same day.
Carmel Valley & Del Mar Heights
Fifteen to twenty minutes from the office. A lot of preventive cardiology and executive risk assessment comes from this area, often prompted by a calcium score or a lipid panel that raised questions during an annual physical.
Mission Valley, North Park & Hillcrest
Fifteen to twenty-five minutes to the La Jolla office via the 163 and the 52 or I-5. Visits from central San Diego are often second opinions, complex arrhythmia questions, or patients seeking AI-enhanced imaging.
Downtown & Point Loma
About twenty-five minutes to the La Jolla office up I-5 outside rush hour. Patients from downtown and Point Loma typically do everything, visits and testing alike, on the Scripps La Jolla campus.
Clairemont & Pacific Beach
Ten to twenty minutes from the La Jolla office. This is the arrangement working at its best: office visits, echocardiograms, stress tests, and any cath-lab work all within one campus a short drive from home.
Coastal North County
Encinitas is home base. If you're in Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Solana Beach, or Del Mar, see my Encinitas practice page for drive times, parking, and what local patients typically come in for.
Insurance & New Patients
I'm accepting new patients. Insurance coverage is handled through my practice, San Diego Cardiovascular Associates, which accepts Medicare and most major commercial plans, including Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Health Net, and TriCare West (across PPO, HMO, and EPO where in-network). Many HMO plans require a referral from your primary care physician before scheduling a cardiology appointment.
For specific eligibility, referral coordination, or any insurance question, call SDCVA at (760) 944-7300. The front office can verify your plan while you're on the line.
Office Locations
SDCVA La Jolla Office — Ximed
9850 Genesee Ave, Suite 780La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858) 824-2900
On the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus, next to the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute.
SDCVA Encinitas Office
320 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 204Encinitas, CA 92024
Phone: (760) 944-7300
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed weekends and major holidays.
The La Jolla office is in the Ximed medical building at Genesee Ave and I-5, with patient parking in the Ximed structure. The Encinitas office is two blocks east of I-5 off Santa Fe Drive with free on-site parking. To schedule at either location, or ask any operational question, call (760) 944-7300 or visit sdcva.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you see patients from the city of San Diego?
Yes. I see patients at the Ximed building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus (9850 Genesee Ave, Suite 780) and at my Encinitas office. For most city residents, La Jolla is the convenient choice, and testing happens on the same campus.
Where would my hospital procedure happen if I live in San Diego?
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, home of the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute, or Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas. For most San Diego residents, La Jolla is the closer option, and it's where I perform diagnostic cardiac catheterization.
Why do San Diego patients drive to Encinitas for a cardiologist?
Second opinions, preventive cardiology with advanced lipid testing, and AI-enhanced cardiac imaging are the three most common reasons. Patients who want longer visits and the same physician every time often decide the drive is worth it.
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes. New patient appointments are typically available within one to three weeks. To schedule, call my practice at (760) 944-7300 or visit sdcva.com.
Do I need a referral?
Most HMO plans require a referral from your primary care doctor; most PPO plans do not. Call SDCVA and the front office can verify your specific plan while you're on the line.
Can visits be consolidated so I make fewer trips?
Yes. Tell the scheduler you're coming from San Diego and they'll stack the consultation, in-office testing, and scheduling of any Scripps-based studies into as few trips as possible.
Want to be seen?
If you're in San Diego and thinking about a consultation, a second opinion, or a fresh look at your cardiovascular risk, the next step is connecting with my practice, San Diego Cardiovascular Associates. Ask for the La Jolla office if that's closer to you. They handle scheduling, insurance verification, and any operational questions, and they'll get you on my calendar.
Or visit sdcva.com to learn more about the practice and submit an appointment request online.