Partnership Reinforces USHV’s Strong Position in Houston and Supports Long-Term Goals for National Footprint Expansion

US Heart & Vascular (“USHV”), the leading national provider of support services to cardiovascular physician practices, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement regarding its partnership with Willowbrook Cardiovascular Associates (“Willowbrook”), a Houston-based cardiovascular physician practice focused on preventative care, diagnostic testing, curative procedures, and electrophysiology services.

With a growing footprint of practice affiliates, a strong management team, and backing from a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management (“Ares”), USHV’s goal is to create the nation’s premier cardiovascular physician focused support services organization that strives to enhance the ability of affiliated practices to deliver high quality cardiovascular care throughout the U.S. With an expanding foundation in Arizona and Texas, USHV is actively seeking to partner with quality practices and entrepreneurial cardiovascular physicians across the country.

“This partnership marks an exciting next chapter for our practice. As physicians, we believe that it will enhance our capabilities to deliver an even greater level of care to our patients and communities,” said Stanley Duchman, M.D. of Willowbrook. “USHV is the right partner to help us grow our practice and deliver on these important objectives.”

“At USHV, we partner with the best cardiovascular specialists and provide them with the resources and support to grow and deliver outstanding high-quality care to their patients,” said Chris Krubert, M.D., Executive Chairman of USHV. “Through our partnership with Ares, which has considerable experience supporting the growth of physician-led practices, and Willowbrook, we are looking forward to advancing our history of quality care, innovation, and success in the Houston region.”

“We are excited to welcome Willowbrook into the USHV family,” said Kevin Ryan, Partner in the Ares Private Equity Group. “We believe that USHV is well positioned to continue to affiliate with additional practices and grow its footprint. Consistent with our approach throughout our healthcare portfolio, we are focused on building a preeminent leader in the cardiovascular physician practice management sector.”

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

About USHV

Formed in 2021 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, USHV is the leading national provider of support services to cardiovascular physician practices with a growing footprint of practice affiliates. USHV focuses on enabling independent cardiology practices to thrive and grow by optimizing the delivery of high-quality, comprehensive, efficient, innovative, and compassionate care. USHV accomplishes its mission by building collaborative partnerships with the best cardiovascular specialists and providing them with the non-clinical resources they need to deliver optimal care to their patients and communities. USHV has partnerships with anchor affiliates in both Arizona and Texas with approximately 60 physicians. In addition, USHV is actively pursuing new practice affiliations across the U.S.

About Willowbrook

Based in Houston, Willowbrook is a six physician practice that focuses on preventative care, diagnostic testing, curative procedures, and electrophysiology services. Willowbrook’s board certified physicians specialize in internal medicine, interventional cardiology, structural cardiology, and electrophysiology. Willowbrook provides services in both independent clinics and hospital settings across the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area. As physicians, Willowbrook’s core mission is to continuously advance the delivery of quality cardiovascular patient care to the community.

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of March 31, 2022, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $325 billion of assets under management, with approximately 2,100 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

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