PHOENIX, Ariz. (May 14, 2019) – On Thursday, May 9, Banner Health hosted a visit by Eric Hargan, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services. Topics during the two-hour stop at the company’s headquarters in downtown Phoenix included discussions about Banner Health’s investment in technology designed to help physician relationships and delivery of care in rural areas of the United States. This is the first visit in Phoenix between Hargan and the Banner Health senior leadership team.   

“We appreciate and thank Mr. Hargan for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit us. Our goal was to make our conversation with him on this visit as engaging and informative as possible,” said Peter Fine, president and CEO of Banner Health. “Being that we are the largest employer in the state of Arizona and one of the largest health care systems in the country, we wanted to talk about the current health care landscape, and what we’ve done to adapt for the benefit of our customers. This includes talking about our journey with population health management and regulatory changes that are vital for integrated delivery systems, to continue to make progress with value-based care in Medicare.”  

In addition to these topics, discussions during the meeting with Hargan also included the current opioid epidemic, and how important it is for the federal government to foster the integration of substance use records with all medical records, so medical providers across Banner Health can provide better care for patients while addressing addiction issues.

“I appreciated our conversation and the chance to learn firsthand about how they are working to combat the opioid crisis in Arizona and across their other service regions, as well as their work to provide care in rural areas,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan. “As the largest employer in the state of Arizona, Banner Health is well-positioned to provide unique insight into some of the ways large providers are capable of adapting to the changing landscape of healthcare while continuing to engage in meaningful ways with their patients.”

About Banner Health

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com.