HOUMA, La. – On Feb. 1, the Cardiovascular Institute of the South announced the launch of a national cardiovascular platform, Cardiovascular Logistics, in partnership with private equity firm Lee Equity Partners, headquartered in New York City. The launch is designed to build and support a network of cardiovascular practices in the United States.
CIS currently employs 60 physicians across 21 locations in Louisiana and Mississippi, with an additional 23 physicians under management in Chicago. The practice was founded in 1983 by Dr. Craig Walker.
“Our mission at CIS from day one, from inception, has been to provide our patients with the highest-quality cardiovascular care available, and it has been our guiding light. We are eager to execute our mission on a much broader scale with national impact,” said Walker in a press release. “This partnership will better serve our patients, as we strive to improve healthcare. This will be a win for our patients.”
Through the new network, CIS said it will share its best practices with other cardiovascular groups. CIS CEO David Konur will also lead the new enterprise.
“We are pleased to partner with Lee Equity given their long-term track record of building strategic partnerships with clinically strong healthcare companies across the nation and helping them grow into market-leading national healthcare platforms focused on clinical excellence and high patient satisfaction,” Konur said. “Together, we will seek to partner with the leading cardiovascular practices across the country, share best practices and improve cardiovascular care for all. We look forward to announcing additional partnerships with leading cardiology practices, who will help form the foundation of Cardiovascular Logistics, in the coming months.”
“We are excited to partner with Dr. Craig Walker, David Konur and the entire physician and management teams at CIS,” said Collins Ward, partner at Lee Equity. “CIS has a global reputation in cardiovascular care, and we believe Lee Equity’s experience in multi-site healthcare will help build Cardiovascular Logistics into the leading national platform of cardiology practices.”