The University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and M Physicians are returning to the negotiating table regarding a tentative health care deal announced last week.
Attorney General Keith Ellison said he will continue to manage the negotiations.
The proposed partnership between Fairview and M Physicians would begin Jan. 1, 2027, and last for 10 years. Both sides say the deal wouldn’t change how or where patients receive care.
The university pushed back on the deal last week, calling it a “hostile takeover” of its medical school.
It now says it is “looking forward to negotiations in mediation with M Physicians and Fairview.”
Meanwhile, Fairview says that while it is willing to participate in discussions, it remains committed to last week’s deal, which the organization called “binding.”
“Fairview will continue to participate in time-limited discussions, but it would be irresponsible to allow open-ended negotiations, to revisit terms that have already been settled, or to return to structures that have already failed. The foundational agreement already reached between Fairview and UMP offers a clear path forward, and it is essential that the work continues without unnecessary barriers,” it said, in part, in a statement.
M Physicians also sent the following statement:
“University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians), the clinical practice for the faculty of the University of Minnesota Medical School, looks forward to advancing our foundational clinical agreement with Fairview Health Services while continuing to serve the academic mission of the University of Minnesota. We intend to complete our definitive clinical agreement with Fairview by the end of 2025.
“For M Physicians, it is crucial to ensure that the stability afforded by our foundational agreement with Fairview will continue for patients, clinicians, faculty, staff and learners–today, tomorrow and for the next decade.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to meet our partners at the table under the continued facilitation of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, strategic facilitator Lois Quam, and an agreed upon mediator.
“Our shared efforts to provide leading edge clinical care to Minnesota’s patients, train the next generation of Minnesota’s physicians and healthcare providers, and research innovations for our state will lead to a strong and stable future for Minnesota’s healthcare.”
With Fairview’s and M Physicians’ stance, it’s unclear what the university hopes to achieve in additional negotiations.
The following is a statement from the university:
“The University of Minnesota looks forward to negotiations in mediation with M Physicians and Fairview. We are hopeful that together, we can reach an agreement that best serves the health and healthcare needs of Minnesota—not only for today, but for decades to come.
“There is hard work ahead of us and trust to rebuild. We are eager to start that process, and grateful to the Attorney General for bringing the parties back together. We stand ready to collectively and creatively explore all options to define a mutually agreeable path forward—for all of Minnesota.“