Boone Health will operate under Ardent Health following a process spanning more than a year of looking for a strategic partner, and will lose its nonprofit status.
The transaction includes a $47 million purchase price, along with a commitment from Ardent to invest $200 million over the next 10 years. The ownership change will let the hospital expand its services while maintaining a local identity.
Ardent will take ownership of the 392-bed Boone Hospital Center, Boone Health Medical Group, 19 sites of care, related ancillary services and associated real estate. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
The Boone County Commission voted Thursday to consent to the agreement the Board of Trustees reached with Ardent Health, including the sale of the property.
Boone Health will contribute its existing facilities, staff and equity to the transaction. By keeping the Boone Health brand intact, Ardent will build on what the hospital already has. Employees, physicians and advanced practice providers in good standing will continue to work for Boone Health.
As a result, patients should not expect to see any immediate changes.
“Initially they’re not going to notice anything,” Boone Health CEO Brady Dubois said. “Longer term we hope that they notice the growth that we’re able to have – the expansion of key service lines.”
Ardent representatives identified several immediate areas they plan to prioritize through the investment, including expanding Boone Health’s emergency department, modernizing operating rooms and upgrading the hospital’s technology infrastructure.
However, long-term changes will be determined over time by gaining a better understanding of the community’s needs, Ardent Chief Medical Officer FJ Campbell said.
Boone Health’s cardiovascular care, women’s health and orthopedics were noted as some of the hospital’s strongest areas, which Ardent will continue to develop further.
“It’s incredibly impressive to me what this medical staff and this nursing staff are able to accomplish without significant resources,” Campbell said. “So I see investing deeper into those three areas, but the reality is there’s more opportunities we’re going to want to uncover with time.”
The company plans to hire additional staff across several areas while preserving those already there.
“There’s successes that are already here. How do we amplify those?” Campbell said. “So there’s no subtraction on this one. It’s putting Boone in a greater position to succeed, and then leveraging that success for our other major healthcare systems.”
Boone Health will also be governed by a local board and community members in order to ensure mid-Missouri’s needs are being met, Ardent Health Region President Joseph DeSchryver said.
Boone Health selected Ardent following a process that included "extensive due diligence" from both organizations.
“It was very clear that we shared the same mission, same culture, same philosophies in taking care of our patients and our people – our staff,” DeSchryver said. “Ardent has been very successful in mid-sized markets that are showing substantial growth, and this just checked all the boxes for us.”
Boone Health began seeking a strategic partner in February 2025. After narrowing the search to 17 organizations, 11 expressed interest, and the selection process ultimately narrowed it down to Ardent, Dubois explained.
Ardent is a publicly traded company based in Nashville that focuses on healthcare operations in mid-sized urban markets. The company has 30 hospitals and more than 280 care facilities in six states.
“Now I’m excited about the cultural fit with Ardent and their focus on patients first and foremost, and their expertise in mid-sized markets and how they can help us grow to Boone’s potential,” Dubois said.
Independent since 2021, Boone Health will return to its subsidiary status, with intent to gain access to many more resources and the opportunity to expand its services while continuing to provide its standard of healthcare.
“When you have a partnership — who brings what to the table — and so Boone is bringing in the equity, bringing in the buildings and the staff. Ardent is bringing in the capital and future capital to help us grow and continue to deliver care for the next 100 years,” Dubois said.