Columbia-based Boone Health and Missouri Heart Center will be separating on May 6, and both sides blame the other for the separation.
Boone Health alleges that this separation is being driven by a small select group of physician partners at Missouri Heart Center. Boone Health briefed reporters on Monday: spokesman Christian Basi says they did so for the patients of Boone Health:
“And making sure they understand that they are going to be covered. We want to make sure that we’re reassuring all of them that there will be coverage for them and we’ll be able to answer their questions, get their prescriptions refilled,” Mr. Basi says.
Boone Health says it’s in the process of hiring a new cardiology team. They say about 20,000 patients will be impacted by the separation. Missouri Heart Center has issued a statement which says they have tried for months to work with Boone’s leadership team towards a new collaborative arrangement that preserves access to and expands care for patients and the community. Missouri Heart alleges that Boone Health refused to engage with them in any meaningful way.
Columbia-based Boone Health and Missouri Heart Center have had a written agreement since 2016 which includes confidentiality provisions. Boone Health spokesman Basi tells reporters these are Boone patients, adding that Missouri Heart instigated the termination of the partnership:
“And you’ll see in the timeline it was their letter that they sent. And that letter specifically says that they’re terminating the partnership without cause. There was no actual reason to terminate the partnership,” says Basi.
Boone Health also says that not all of the partners at Missouri Heart agree with this decision.
Missouri Heart Center’s statement also says the lawsuit filed by Boone Health on Friday contains allegations that are legally and factually incorrect and that the lawsuit doesn’t change Missouri Heart’s commitment to caring for patients.