A planned merger between the University of Arizona Health Network and Phoenix-based Banner Health is delayed until Feb. 27, employees at both companies learned Thursday.
The transaction had been scheduled to close Jan. 31.
The terms call for the non-profit UA Health Network to merge with Banner and Banner will be the surviving entity.
Banner, which is non-profit, will acquire operations of both UA Health Network hospitals. It will also take over the network's lease with Pima County to use the hospital building and land at 2800 E. Ajo Way, and it will acquire the UA Medical Center's university campus land and hospital building.
The deal also calls for a Banner affiliation with the UA College of Medicine.
The approximately 6,300 employees of the UA Health Network are expected to be guaranteed their jobs for at least six months post merger.
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Officials still aren't answering questions about specifics of the deal, including how Banner is going to reconcile the difference in their electronic medical record keeping systems.
The UA Health Network's Epic system is brand new and was extremely expensive — more than $100 million. But Banner's other properties use a system called Cerner.
Will Banner invest in changing the UA Health Network from Epic to Cerner and re-training its employees on yet another new system?
"Operational decisions will not be made until the merger is complete," Banner spokesman Bill Byron wrote in an email.
