MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians) and Fairview Health Services (Fairview) announced today that the organizations have finalized the foundational clinical agreement for the “Strategic Partnership for Minnesota’s Healthcare Future,” first announced in November.
The new agreement will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and will build upon the current contract that ends in 2026. It includes an initial term of 10 years with a provision for subsequent renewal periods.
“This agreement affirms our commitment to providing world-class clinical care to our patients while strengthening our organizations’ long-term support for academic medicine in Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Medical School,” said Greg Beilman, MD, Interim CEO for M Physicians, the clinical practice for the University of Minnesota Medical School faculty. “Over the next decade, our partnership will advance clinical care for Minnesota’s patients while enhancing the critical research and education endeavors our faculty and clinicians lead with students, trainees, and other collaborators.”
“As we enter this next chapter for our organizations’ work together, we do so with the collective strength of the community- and academic-clinicians, working alongside care teams who have served patients side by side for decades,” said James Hereford, president and CEO of Fairview. “We share a commitment to taking our partnership to the next level in order to achieve its fullest potential on behalf of those we care for.”
Strategic Partnership for Minnesota’s Healthcare Future
M Physicians and Fairview bring academic medicine to patients across Minnesota through Fairview’s network of 12 hospitals and nearly 30 clinics in Minnesota, which in 2025 served 1.2 million patients.
The strengthened M Physicians and Fairview partnership will:
- Ensure patient access and continuity of care across hospitals, clinicals and academic programs
- Contribute $1 billion dollars in capital investments to University of Minnesota Medical Center, the primary teaching and quaternary care hospital in the Fairview system and the top ranked hospital in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area
- Maintain patients’ access to life-changing clinical research
- Support faculty physicians, researchers and learners through academic funding commitments, with opportunities to increase investments based on shared goals for growth and efficiency
- Explore opportunities across both organizations that improve access and outcomes for patients in rural communities
M Physicians and Fairview will remain independent organizations, each governed by their own Boards of Directors.
In this partnership, M Physicians and Fairview will modernize how the two organizations collaborate. Fairview will continue to own and operate the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Masonic Children’s Hospital, where M Physicians clinicians will continue caring for patients, training learners and conducting clinical research. M Physicians and Fairview will also work together across several clinical programs. Patients will see no change to where or how they receive care.
Through this partnership, M Physicians and Fairview will move Minnesota’s healthcare forward for patients, clinicians, learners and the communities we serve. To learn more about the Strategic Partnership for Minnesota’s Healthcare Future, visit: togetherforward.fairview.org.
About University of Minnesota Physicians
University of Minnesota Physicians (UMP) is the multi-specialty physician group at the heart of the University’s academic health mission. UMP’s more than 2,000 physicians, advanced practice providers, and 2,000 staff deliver world-class care, train the next generation of healthcare professionals, and lead research that advances medicine for all.
About Fairview Health Services
Fairview Health Services (fairview.org) is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit health system driven to heal, discover and educate for longer, healthier lives. Founded in 1906, Fairview provides exceptional care to patients and communities as one of the most comprehensive and geographically accessible systems in Minnesota. Fairview has enjoyed a long partnership with the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Physicians, now represented in the M Health Fairview brand. Together, we offer access to breakthrough medical research and specialty expertise as part of a continuum of care that reaches all ages and health needs.
Media Contacts:
Fairview Health Services – Aimee Jordan, Director of Communications, 612-306-1811, aimee.jordan@fairview.org
University of Minnesota Physicians – Connor Myhre, Manager of Communication and Marketing, 952-270-3689, cmyhre@umn.edu