Salem Health asks judge to dismiss lawsuit claiming cardiology monopoly

Salem Health is arguing in court that its efforts to expand heart care and lure patients from competitors isn’t an unlawful attempt to build a monopoly.

The health care provider on Nov. 22 filed a motion to dismissa lawsuit filed by Oregon Heart Center, the largest independent cardiac care center in the mid-Willamette Valley. The $15 million suit argued Salem Health violated state antitrust regulations by pressuring patients to switch providers while still in…