ST. PAUL, Minn. – Governor Tim Walz, just before the holiday weekend, signed a bill that could affect the dynamic in the proposed Sanford Health-Fairview Health Systems merger.
The new law clarifies what was somewhat of a gray area, stating that the state Attorney General is permitted to take legal action if a hospital merger is contrary to the public interest, and also that the U-of-M’s health care facilities may not be controlled or owned by a for-profit or out-of-state entity unless the Attorney General determines it’s in the public interest.
Fairview currently owns the U-of-M’s teaching hospitals on the Minneapolis campus.
The legislative session is over, but Walz indicated a special session on issues related to the merger might be necessary this summer.
“I think there’s gonna need to be more talk around the University of Minnesota Medical School, and what the long-term plan looks like,” Walz said.
