Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and University of Minnesota Physicians will return to the negotiating table.
This comes after Fairview last week inked a 10-year deal with M Physicians which prompted pushback from the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents.
Ellison Friday announced sides will continue to manage the process with a mutually agreed-upon mediator and that he will continue to manage the process.
“progress all parties have made to date is significant, and I thank the parties for building on this work and recognizing that time is of the essence in bringing this matter to closure in a way that secures continuity of high-quality patient care, retention of world-class physicians, and long-term support for the Medical School that trains 70 percent of all doctors in Minnesota. This has always been and continues to be the goal," Ellison said in a statement.
A special board of regents meeting schedule for noon Friday was canceled ahead of the announcement.
"In addition to thanking the parties involved, I extend my gratitude for the hard work of strategic facilitator Lois Quam, who will remain in this process as a facilitator," Ellison continued. "I also thank Regents of the University of Minnesota for encouraging the process to move forward in a constructive way."
A deal was announced last week between Fairview and the physicians, in essence circumventing the University and Board of Regents who then formally reprimanded the University's physician's group.
University President Rebecca Cunningham said at the time reports that the University walked away from talks were untrue.
"In September, the strategic facilitator declared an impasse and sent the University and all parties home," said President Cunningham. "We did not walk away."
The latest dispute at the school's hospital follows years of negotiations and failed negotiations. At one point, a deal was struck with South Dakota-based Sanford Health but fell apart in 2023 after many involved parties became uncomfortable with an out-of-state health group taking over the University of Minnesota's teaching hospital.