Boone Health is poised to be acquired by Ardent Health, a Tennessee-based healthcare organization, following a unanimous vote of approval by the Boone County Commission. The commission’s decision came after approximately ninety minutes of deliberation, which included testimony from Boone Health officials as well as public comment.
Ardent Health is acquiring Boone Health for $47 million in cash. The acquisition encompasses the 392-bed hospital, Boone Health Medical Group, 19 sites of care, related ancillary services, and associated real estate, as outlined in a joint news release issued by both organizations.
Ardent Health is a for-profit, publicly traded healthcare company currently operating hospitals across six states. Upon completion of the transaction, Boone Health will represent the company’s sole Missouri facility. Ardent currently maintains a presence in Tennessee, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Idaho, and New Jersey. According to the company’s website, the Ardent network comprises 30 hospitals, more than 280 sites of care, over 25,000 team members, and more than 2,000 providers, collectively serving upwards of 15,000 patients daily.
Dave Caspers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ardent Health, announced at a joint news conference with Boone Health that the company intends to invest $200 million into the hospital over the next decade. This investment is expected to fund equipment upgrades, facility renovations, the development of new facilities and services, and physician recruitment initiatives.
Caspers further confirmed that Boone Health will retain its name and that the approximately 2,300 existing employees will remain with the organization upon the close of the sale , a commitment that aligned with assurances previously made by Boone Health CEO Brady DuBois.
The transaction is anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2027. In the interim, both Boone Health and Ardent Health will continue to operate as independent entities.
DuBois noted that the partnership will enable Boone Health to expand its emergency room capacity and broaden access to care in rural communities. He also referenced findings from a consulting firm engaged by Boone Health, which indicated that President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” reduced Medicaid funding, resulting in financial losses for approximately 40% of hospitals on a monthly basis.
The hospital organization spent 18 months identifying a new business partner, ultimately selecting Ardent Health from a pool of 17 prospective buyers, according to DuBois. Boone Health has operated as an independent health center for the past five years, following its departure from the BJC HealthCare system.
DuBois explained that the search for a strategic partner was driven by the need to help the organization scale in response to mounting industry challenges.
“It’s getting tough in healthcare,” DuBois said. “There are a lot of things that are headwinds that are coming onto healthcare that we’re trying to address. Over time, we’ve been making plans to put Boone on the right trajectory, and it became clear that it wasn’t going to be fast enough to meet the needs of our community.”
He emphasized that Boone Health sought a partner that recognized the hospital’s role as a healthcare hub for mid-Missouri and one with a vision for future expansion.
“We know this hospital has cared for mid-Missouri people, families, Boone babies for more than 100 years,” Caspers said at the news conference. “The quality of your nursing excellence, the quality of the people behind all of the care is exactly why we want to be part of what’s here.”
Caspers highlighted that Ardent Health prioritizes investment in growing communities such as Columbia, describing the organization as a leading provider of healthcare services in expanding mid-sized markets across the country.
“We do partner for the long term,” Caspers said. “We have decades of experience and a track record of investing in our hospitals and expanding access to care. We bring the scale and resources of a national health system.”
Caspers reaffirmed Ardent Health’s commitment to quality, patient safety, service growth, and maintaining locally accessible care. He also confirmed that Boone Health’s existing charity care services will be preserved following the acquisition.
