Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center

Banner Health is a non-profit health system in the United States, based in Phoenix, Arizona. It operates 30 hospitals and several specialized facilities across 6 states, making it the largest employer in Arizona and one of the largest in the United States, with over 50,000 employees. The organization provides a wide range of healthcare services, including emergency and hospital care, hospice, long-term/home care, outpatient surgery, labs, rehabilitation services, pharmacies, and primary care.

In early 2018, it reported assets of $11.6 billion and revenues of $7.8 billion for the previous year. Banner Health was created in 1999 through a merger between Lutheran Health Systems and Samaritan Health System. In 2001, Banner sold its operations in several states and made its sole headquarters in Phoenix. The organization also operates a Medicare Advantage insurance plan, University Care Advantage, and an AHCCCS (Medicaid) plan, Banner University Family Care.

Banner Health has also partnered with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and built a $90 million cancer center in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2015, Banner relocated its headquarters to a tower in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona and signed an agreement with Cerner to move all of its facilities to Cerner EHR. In August 2016, Banner Health acquired the assets and staff of Urgent Care Extra’s 32 Arizona urgent care facilities.

Unfortunately, in 2016, the organization fell victim to a cyberattack and data breach that may have put the information of up to three million patients and employees at risk. This led to a class-action lawsuit, which was settled in 2020. In April 2018, Banner submitted to an $18 million fine relating to billing and operational abnormalities relating to billing government programs for services.

In June 2018, the company completed the transition of the Tucson medical facilities conversion from Epic Systems EHR to the EHR used at their other entities, Cerner. The conversion was noted as challenging for the staff involved and cost approximately US$45 million. In July 2020, Wyoming Medical Center agreed to join Banner Health.