St. Louis Heart and Vascular, a longtime cardiology practice with six locations throughout the greater St. Louis area, has sued the SSM Health hospital system for $50 million. The lawsuit came after SSM Health told the practice it would be entering into an exclusive arrangement with another cardiology provider. As a part of that agreement, employees of St. Louis Heart and Vascular are having their privileges revoked at all SSM Health hospitals.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered the lawsuit in great detail. Harvey Serota, MD, the founder of St. Louis Heart and Vascular, told the newspaper that SSM Health’s decision was a surprise.
The practice’s lawyers noted that its physicians have been providing care to SSM Health patients since 1993. In addition, they argued, St. Louis Heart and Vascular has invested millions of dollars into building some of its own buildings close to SSM Health hospitals.
SSM Health, meanwhile, said in a statement it does not comment on ongoing legislation.
“However, we will point out that SSM Health continually works to improve the care and service offered to our patients,” according to the statement. “Exercising exclusivity within our adult cardiology services contributes to that improvement and is well within normal business practices.”
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.