Heartflow Expands GAMEFILM Registry to NBA and NHL Alumni, Precisely Measuring Heart Disease Risk in Former Professional Athletes
Rhea-AI Summary
Heartflow (Nasdaq: HTFL) announced expansion of its GAMEFILM Registry on February 12, 2026 to include former NBA and NHL players, building on an initial phase with NFL alumni.
The non-invasive registry uses AI-powered Heartflow Plaque Analysis with CCTA across 15 U.S. sites, has enrolled over 140 retired athletes and aims for up to 300 participants to study coronary plaque and risk.
Positive
- GAMEFILM expanded to include NBA and NHL athletes
- Enrolled over 140 retired professional athletes
- Study active at 15 U.S. clinical sites
- Target enrollment of up to 300 former players
- Non-invasive CCTA plus AI Heartflow Plaque Analysis used
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
HTFL is down 1.28% while peers show mixed moves: PRVA (-1.05%), PINC (+0.07%), BTSG (+1.11%), HNGE (+0.68%), WAY (+1.02%). No broad, aligned sector move is evident.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 06 | Coverage expansion | Positive | +2.5% | Aetna adds nationwide coverage for Heartflow Plaque Analysis across major plan types. |
| Jan 05 | Conference participation | Neutral | +2.5% | Company schedules presentation at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference to discuss developments. |
| Dec 18 | Guideline support | Positive | +6.5% | ACC/AHA scientific statements highlight quantitative plaque assessment and Heartflow pathway. |
| Dec 11 | Clinical outcomes data | Positive | +1.0% | Large FFRCT analyses in >90,000 patients show prognostic value and system cost savings. |
| Nov 19 | Conference participation | Neutral | -0.3% | Piper Sandler conference fireside chat announcement with slight negative price reaction. |
Recent company-specific news, especially clinical validation and reimbursement wins, has generally aligned with positive short-term price reactions, with only one minor divergence on a conference participation headline.
Over the last few months, Heartflow has reported several supportive developments: payer coverage expansion by Aetna effective Dec 23, 2025, inclusion of Plaque Analysis in ACC/AHA scientific statements on Dec 18, 2025, and large real‑world FFRCT data presented on Dec 11, 2025. Conference participation announcements on Nov 19, 2025 and Jan 5, 2026 added investor visibility. Against this backdrop, the GAMEFILM Registry expansion continues Heartflow’s strategy of strengthening clinical evidence and real‑world adoption.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement expands Heartflow’s GAMEFILM Registry beyond retired NFL players to include NBA and NHL alumni, reinforcing its focus on AI-driven assessment of coronary artery disease. With over 140 athletes enrolled and a goal of up to 300 across 15 U.S. sites, the study builds real-world evidence in a high‑demand population. Investors may watch how insights from this registry translate into broader clinical adoption, reimbursement durability, and integration into cardiovascular care pathways.
Key Terms
coronary artery disease medical
cardiovascular disease medical
coronary plaque burden medical
coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) medical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
NBA legend Muggsy Bogues joins effort to detect and manage coronary artery disease in retired players using AI-powered Heartflow Analysis
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartflow, Inc. (Heartflow) (Nasdaq: HTFL), the leader in AI technology for coronary artery disease (CAD), today announced a significant expansion of its groundbreaking GAMEFILM Registry. Building on a successful initial phase enrolling retired National Football League (NFL) athletes, the study will now extend to include former players from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL), broadening Heartflow’s initiative to protect the heart health of professional athletes across major sports. Retired NBA star Muggsy Bogues was one of the first former professional basketball players to join the GAMEFILM Registry and receive a CAD assessment with Heartflow’s AI-driven technology.
"My 14-year career as a professional athlete taught me the importance of staying on top of your health, especially heart health. I joined Heartflow’s GAMEFILM Registry as soon as I heard about it because I’ve lost too many friends to cardiovascular disease," said former NBA point guard Muggsy Bogues. "Many of us push our bodies to the limits, and sometimes the signs of underlying issues can be overlooked. Heartflow Analysis offers an easy way to get a precise picture of what's going on inside, without invasive procedures. I'm excited to see this technology benefit more athletes, giving them and their doctors a powerful tool for proactive heart care."
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. It is known as the “silent killer” because it can progress for years without obvious signs or symptoms. For professional athletes who place immense, continuous demands on their cardiovascular systems, underlying heart issues can be easily masked. Heartflow Plaque Analysis provides a thorough understanding of coronary plaque burden, which is essential for physicians to identify high-risk patients early and enable timely, preventative interventions. Four out of five heart attacks and strokes are preventable with lifestyle and nutrition changes if patients at high risk are identified early.1
The GAMEFILM Registry has already enrolled over 140 retired athletes from the NFL, NBA, and NHL. The study, currently active at 15 sites across the United States, aims to enroll up to 300 former players to better understand the prevalence, risk factors, severity, and treatment protocols for cardiovascular disease in this population. To do so, the registry addresses how advanced coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) imaging and AI-powered insights from Heartflow’s first-of-its-kind non-invasive technology can identify different types of plaque in the coronary arteries — including those most likely to cause a cardiac event — and measure the effect on blood flow to the heart.2
“Expanding our GAMEFILM Registry to include NBA and NHL athletes marks a pivotal moment for Heartflow, demonstrating our mission to revolutionize how heart disease is diagnosed, measured and managed,” said John Farquhar, President and CEO of Heartflow, and an NFL alumnus. “Heartflow’s precision diagnostic capability will not only advance the health and safety of these athletes, but also generate invaluable insights that will benefit cardiovascular care more broadly.”
The expansion of the GAMEFILM registry will deepen understanding of how high-performance sports impact heart health over time. This data is expected to contribute significantly to the development of tailored screening protocols, preventative strategies, and personalized treatment plans.
“Cardiovascular disease in former professional athletes is a paramount concern, but there’s much we still don’t understand about the disease in this population,” said Jeffrey L. Boone, M.D., GAMEFILM Registry Primary Investigator and Founder and Medical Director of the Boone Heart Institute. “We’ve seen the invaluable insights gained from our work with NFL alumni, identifying risks and guiding interventions. Bringing this same proactive, precision cardiovascular care to basketball and hockey players, who are also at unique risk due to the physical intensity of their sports, is a vital step in ensuring their long-term health.”
Heartflow is actively collaborating with organizations supporting former professional athletes to facilitate enrollment and to integrate the GAMEFILM Registry’s insights into existing health and wellness programs. This initiative underscores Heartflow's dedication to managing heart disease through partnering with physicians to generate robust, high-quality clinical evidence. To learn more and enroll in the GAMEFILM Registry, visit heartflow.com/GAMEFILM.
About Heartflow’s Technology and Research
Heartflow’s technology is redefining precision cardiovascular care through clinically-proven AI and the world’s largest coronary imaging dataset. Heartflow has been adopted by more than 1,400 institutions globally and continues to strengthen its commercial presence to make this cutting-edge solution more widely available to an increasingly diverse patient population. Backed by ACC/AHA guidelines and supported by more than 600 peer-reviewed publications, Heartflow has redefined how clinicians manage care for over 500,000 patients worldwide.3 Key benefits include:
- Proprietary data pipeline: Built from more than 160 million annotated CTA images, Heartflow’s data foundation powers advanced AI models that deliver highly accurate, reproducible insights across diverse patient populations.
- Extensive clinical and real-world validation: Heartflow’s AI-driven solutions have been validated through clinical evidence in over 200 studies assessing over 365,000 patients. Proven in real-world practice with reproducibility and accuracy, Heartflow’s coronary CTA image acceptance rates exceed
97% . - Seamless clinical integration via upgraded workflow: Heartflow delivers final quality-reviewed analyses instantly upon order, enabling clinicians to move from diagnosis to decision without delay.
- Quality system, global security and patient-data integrity compliance: Heartflow meets or exceeds leading international standards, including HITRUST, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 13485, and ISO 27001.
About Heartflow, Inc.
Heartflow is transforming coronary artery disease from the world’s leading cause of death into a condition that can be detected early, diagnosed accurately, and managed for life. The Heartflow One platform uses AI to turn coronary CTA images into personalized 3D models of the heart, providing clinically meaningful, actionable insights into plaque location, volume, and composition and its effect on blood flow — all without invasive procedures. Discover how we’re shaping the future of cardiovascular care at heartflow.com.
Media Contact
Elliot Levy
elevy@heartflow.com
Investor Contact
Nick Laudico
nlaudico@heartflow.com
1 World Heart Federation. Prevention. https://world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/prevention/ Accessed Feb. 10, 2026.
2 Williams, Michelle C., et al. “Low-Attenuation SCOT-HEART Trial.” pp. 1452–1462, https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.044720.
3 Gulati, et al. 2021 AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR Guideline for the Evaluation & Diagnosis of Chest Pain. J Am Coll Cardiol.