Hospital sues cardiology practice for alleged breach of contract, ending years-long partnership
Boone Health, a 392-bed hospital in Columbia, Missouri, is suing Missouri Cardiovascular Specialists, the cardiology group it partnered with for years, for allegedly violating a noncompete clause and misusing patient data.
Missouri Cardiovascular Specialists, more commonly known as Missouri Heart Center, is a private cardiology practice based out of Columbia. Its cardiologists offer a wide range of general cardiology, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology services. Boone Health and Missouri Heart Center have been partners for more than a decade, collaborating to provide cardiovascular care to tens of thousands of patients, but that relationship seems to have reached an unexpected conclusion.
According to Boone Health, Missouri Heart Center plans on ending its relationship with the hospital in May and opening up a new cardiology clinic in Columbia. The move is believed to involve aligning with Heart & Vascular Partners, a private equity-backed management services organization throughout the United States. Boone Health sees this plan as a direct violation of a nonexclusive contract between the two organizations.
“This is very disappointing because it’s clear that this is about nothing more than a desire to align with venture capital over our community hospital,” Brady Dubois, CEO of Boone Health, said in a statement. “Additionally, this is being driven by a small, select group of physician partners at Missouri Heart. It’s clear that not all the partners agree with this decision."
Boone Health has also accused Missouri Heart Center of withholding patient data. The hospital said its leaders have reached out multiple times to request those data, but Missouri Heart Center has never provided it.
Hospital in process of bringing in new cardiologists
Dubois added that the hospital “will remain here for patients” and is already working to locate new cardiologists. In fact, the goal is to have its own in-house specialists in the future.
“We’re already hiring cardiology providers who can ensure that our patients will continue to have their prescriptions filled and appointments kept,” Dubois said. “Our work is to pledge that any new or continuing patients will have the resources they need to maintain and improve their quality of life.”
Cardiology practice shares its own perspective
Missouri Heart Center shared a response to this situation after receiving the lawsuit. The practice emphasized that it disagrees with all allegations and finds them “legally and factually incorrect.”
“For months, we have tried to meet with the leadership team at Boone Health to work constructively towards a new, collaborative arrangement that would preserve access to and expand high‑quality care for our patients and for the entire community,” the group posted on its social media platforms. “Unfortunately, Boone refused to engage with us in any meaningful way. Instead, we have been met with a series of escalating legal threats, culminating in today’s filing.”
The online message did underline the fact that Missouri Heart Center is still open and seeing patients.
“We as the partners of Missouri Cardiovascular Specialists and Missouri Heart Center remain committed to working at and with Boone and remain open to negotiation even in the face of these aggressive legal maneuvers,” according to the online statement.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.