A merger announced last week will consolidate University of Minnesota-partnered Fairview Health Services and insurance provider UCare by mid-summer.
The move, made public April 5, marks Fairview’s second merger in the last six months.
Last year, UCare lost enrollees after missing a bid for a state contract that would have made them a provider for government health plans.
In October, school leaders approved a plan to combine Fairview and University of Minnesota Physicians to create M Health.
Two previous attempts to merge with Fairview — by the University and South Dakota-based Sanford Health — were axed in 2013.
In 1997, Fairview combined its Riverside clinic with the University hospital to create Fairview-University Medical Center.
Fairview also bought the sole stake in PreferredOne — a Minnesota-based insurance provider — in January. Together the providers will form Fairview’s “health plan division,” according to a press release.
