Careers at Banner Health

MISSION

Banner Health seeks to provide high quality patient care through a continuous focus on improving patient outcomes and service, development and training of its workforce, the use of innovative technologies, and the expansion of its facilities and services.

FOUNDING STORY

Banner Health was established in its current form in 1999 by way of a merger between existing healthcare system operators Samaritan Health System and Lutheran Health Systems.

These systems respectively have histories dating back to 1911 and 1938.

At the time of the merger, Banner Health employed a workforce of more than 22,000 members of staff.

Banner Health has since expanded its operations through several major acquisitions. The company notably acquired assets and staff from Bog Thompson Medical Group in 2006, acquired specialty provider Arizona Medical Clinic in 2006, purchased Casa Grande Medical Centre in 2014, and in 2016 completed the acquisition of assets and staff from Urgent Care Extra. In 2016, Banner Health also agreed to a merger with the University of Arizona Health Network forming Banner University Medical Group.

Banner Health is now among the largest non-profit healthcare system operators in the US. It operates a network of medical facilities, comprising 28 hospitals, including three academic medical centres, and other related health entities and services in six states.

Business model of Banner Health

Customer Segments

Banner Health operates a large network of medical facilities through which it serves members of the general consumer population.

The company offers care to patients across a range of specialties, including the following:

  • Acute and Emergency Care, including urgent care patients, and sufferers of acute injuries, conditions, and diseases;
  • Specialised Care, including sufferers of chronic conditions or patients that require specialised care, including sufferers of conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, as well as maternity, paediatric, and women’s health patients;
  • Outpatient and Rehabilitation, including patients that regular outpatient care or rehabilitation services, including physiotherapy services; and
  • Palliative and Hospice, including terminal patients and elderly patients that require around-the-clock palliative care.

Banner Health serves patients exclusively in the US. The company’s markets in the US comprise six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming. The company does not appear to provide services in any international markets.

Value Propositions

Banner Health provides value to its patients in the following ways:

  • Reputation and Track Record – Banner Health has an established track record in the US healthcare sector that dates back as far as the early twentieth century, and operates under a well-known and recognisable brand that trusted within the industry;
  • Varied Care and Treatments – Banner Health offers specialised care and treatment for patients suffering from a broad range of conditions and injuries, including urgent carer, chronic care, and palliative care;
  • Quality Care and Services – Banner Health seeks to provide excellent care to its patients, through its state-of-the art facilities and through the use of cutting-edge and innovative technologies and techniques;
  • Commitment to Research and Innovation – Banner Health is committed to research and innovation activities, seeking to find new and effective treatments and tools for a variety ailments, identified through clinical trials and testing; and
  • Experience and Expertise – Banner Health employs an experienced and expert workforce comprising specialised physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff, supported by experienced industry executives.

Channels

Banner Health serves its patients directly through its network of hospitals, clinics, and medical centres – including 28 hospitals – across six US states.

These facilities are staffed by physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff who provide care directly to patients.

While the majority of the company’s patients are treated as walk-ins at its various facilities, the company also operates an online service through which customers can arrange appointments. Customers are also able to pay medical bills through the company’s website at www.bannerhealth.com.

Banner Health additionally operates a captive insurance company, through which it provides medical insurance services.

The company also operates research and innovation units, through which it is engaged in the implementation of research and clinic studies.

Customer Relationships

Banner Health seeks to establish longstanding relationships with its patients, encouraging patients to return and instilling trust by offering high-quality, reliable, and efficient services through its workforce of highly qualified and experienced medical practitioners and clinical staff.

These members of staff work closely with patients, providing treatment and advice, handling questions, and providing in-person assistance.

As noted above, Banner Health operates a website at www.bannerhealth.com, through which it provides information to patients on a self-service basis.

This includes information on billing processes, the locations of Banner Health medical facilities, information on the company’s leadership team, and information on its cooperation with government programs.

The company also operates a dedicated customer care team, which patients can contact online or over the phone in order to access personal assistance.

Banner Health is also able to communicate directly with customers through its various social media accounts, including with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, through which it can handle complaints and queries. It also provides updates and information through a blog hosted on its website.

Key Activities

Banner Health operates as a non-profit healthcare and medical organisation.

It is engaged in the delivery of medical treatment and healthcare services through facilities that it owns or leases, including acute-care hospitals and other medical facilities.

The company operates hospitals across six US states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming.

It offers treatment and care for a broad range of conditions, including Alzheimer's, bariatric surgery, behavioural health, burns, cancer, emergency care, heart care, home care, hospice, maternity, medical imaging, neurosciences and stroke, orthopaedics, paediatrics, and, rehabilitation.

Banner Health also operates training hospitals and medical research facilities, through which it seeks to train new clinical professionals and develop new treatments.

Key Partners

Banner Health works in close conjunction with a network of partner companies and organisations, with  which it collaborates on a range of projects and activities.

These partners can be organised broadly into the following categories:

  • Supplier and Vendor Partners, including specialised suppliers of medical equipment and supplies, and other third-party providers of services that support the company’s corporate activities more broadly;
  • Government Health Partners, including federal and state-level governing bodies and health programs, as well as other non-governmental organisations, that seek to ensure consumers have adequate access to medical care;. 
  • Academic and Research Partners, comprising various academic institutions and specialist medical research organisations with which the company collaborates on various research and innovation projects;
  • Joint Venture Partners, comprising a range of medical service providers and other companies with which the company jointly operates facilities and units through mutually owned vehicles; and
  • Strategic and Technology Partners, comprising technology and other companies with which the company collaborates on development, branding, marketing, and other joint projects.

In recent years, Banner Health has launched strategic partnerships with grocery chain Safeway, ride share company Lyft, and Talent Plus. The company also has academic partnerships with institutions including University Medical Centre Phoenix, University of Arizona, and Mayo Clinic.

Key Resources

Banner Health’s business model is dependent on its ability to deliver high quality healthcare services and develop innovative new treatments and technologies.

As such, the company’s key resources are its network of hospitals and medical facilities, its research and academic facilities, its supplies and equipment, its personnel – most notably its doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff members, its partnerships, and its IT and communications infrastructure.

Banner Health notably owns and or leases a network of hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, clinical laboratories, ambulatory surgery centres, urgent care centres, home health agencies, and an accountable health care organization that are crucial to its delivery of effective care.

Cost Structure

Banner Health incurs costs in relation to the operation of its network of hospitals and medical clinics – including occupancy and utility costs, the procurement of medical supplies and equipment, the purchasing of third-party services, the implementation of research programs and clinical studies, the management of its partnerships, and the payment of salaries and benefits to its personnel.

In 2017, Banner Health’s largest expense was its personnel costs, recording salary and benefit costs totaling USD 3.80 billion for the year.

The company also recorded supply costs in the amount of USD 1.28 billion, and physician and professional fees totaling USD 180.62 million.

Revenue Streams

Banner Health generates revenue through the provision of medical treatments and services to patients in the US. The company derives its revenue primarily in the form of medical fees charged to patients, relatives, insurance companies, and government programs.

The company also derives revenue in the form of insurance payments made by customers to its captive insurance company.

In 2017, Banner Health generated revenue for the year in the amount of USD 7.84 billion.

Net patient service fees accounted for the bulk of this revenue, around USD 6.61 billion.

The company attributed around USD 1.20 billion to the collection of medical insurance premiums.

Our team

Peter S. Fine,
President and Chief Executive Officer

info: Peter S. Fine (“Fine”) has served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Banner Health since 2000, and has been a member of the company’s Board of Directors since October 2013. Fine is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategic direction and functions as the company’s principal decision maker. Prior to assuming his current role, Fine served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Aurora Health Care, for which he had previously served as President of the West Allis Memorial Hospital. Fine has held a number of senior leadership positions in the healthcare sector, including at individual hospital facilities. His early appointments included spells as President and Chief Executive Officer of Grant Hospital, Senior Vice President of Operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and Assistant Administrator of Porter Memorial Hospital.

Becky Kuhn,
Chief Operating Officer

info: Becky Kuhn (“Kuhn”) has served as Chief Operating Officer at Banner Health since May 2017. She is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company and its network. Kuhn first joined Banner Health in 2002 as Chief Executive Officer of Banner Mesa Medical Centre. She went on to hold roles of increasing responsibility at the company – including spells as Chief Executive Officer of Banner Gateway Medical Centre, Chief Executive Officer of Banner Del E. Webb Medical Centre, President of Arizona East Region, and Executive Vice President of Community Delivery. Kuhn began her career in 1987, at Samaritan Health System, where she held a range of administrative roles over a period of eight years. In 1995, she joined Paradise Valley Hospital as Chief Executive Officer, a role she held for seven years before joining Banner Health.

Dennis Laraway,
Chief Financial Officer

info: Dennis Laraway (“Laraway”) has serves as Chief Financial Officer at Banner Health since joining the company in 2017. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s financial management activities, including the activities of its accounting and tax units. Laraway is an experienced financial executive in the healthcare sector. He has previously held several Chief Financial Officer positions, including spells as Chief Financial Officer for Catholic Healthcare West’s St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Centre, and as Chief Financial Officer for Scott and White Healthcare. Prior to joining Banner Health, Laraway served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Memorial Hermann Health System, a system of 19 hospitals operating in Houston, Texas.