Beyond the Org Chart: Amy Perry on What True Integration Looks Like at Banner Health

What does it take to run a health system that actually profits from keeping people well—not just treating them when they're sick? Banner Health CEO Amy Perry tackles this question, along with how physician alignment works without employment ties and what Medicaid cuts mean for vulnerable communities, in an interview ahead of her keynote at AMGA's Integration Summit, Oct. 5–7, 2026 in Washington, DC. (X minutes)

Amy Perry, president and CEO of Banner, will give her keynote presentation at AMGA’s Integration Summit this October. We recently had the chance to catch up with her for an insightful interview.

Most health systems talk about integration. Banner built a health plan with more than a million managed lives alongside its hospitals and physicians. At what point did having a health plan stop being a strategic initiative and start changing how the whole enterprise operates?

Moving to value-based care is a continuous journey. Creating the enabling economics is the daily challenge in a U.S. healthcare financing system that’s built around care and not health. Banner’s growing health plan has changed our overall enterprise strategy.

We operate 33 hospitals and more than 400 outpatient sites across the Southwest, insuring more than one million members. The value isn’t that we own a health plan. It’s that we operate as one integrated system. Our health plan data identify gaps, and our care teams have the relationships and infrastructure to close them.

Care for our members extends beyond one appointment. Did the patient get the medication? Complete the screening? Follow the treatment plan? We invest in preventive screenings and chronic disease management to improve health outcomes. Value-based care changes how we as leaders measure success—we truly have a balanced scorecard that monitors acute care quality as well as access, preventive care, avoidable utilization, and population health over time. We’re proving that comprehensive investments in health and world-class care are the best way forward.

Most health systems say they want to keep people well, but their revenue model still depends on people getting sick. How does having the premium dollar change what keeping people well actually means operationally?

When you’re responsible for the premium dollar, prevention shifts from being a separate program to part of your operating model. We’re moving from reactive sick care to proactive prevention.

Our health plan data identify people with care gaps or rising health risks. Our care teams reach out before problems become serious. For example, by appropriately incentivizing Medicaid members with significant preventive-care gaps, we achieved measurable improvements in health outcomes. Blood pressure checks jumped from 1,122 to nearly 14,000. Colorectal cancer screenings more than doubled. Well-child visits increased 34% in rural counties.

When care and coverage align, clinical and financial goals support each other. Keeping people healthier improves their lives and reduces the need for expensive care later, helping us achieve better outcomes at lower costs.

You have thousands of employed physicians at Banner, but an even larger network of independent physicians aligned through your health plan. What does alignment look like when it’s not an employment relationship?

Physicians have choice and agency, whether employed or not. Our goal is to provide the best clinical and economic environment to care for patients and achieve a win-win-win relationship. Employment is only one way to align with physicians. Banner’s goal is shared accountability for quality, access, patient experience and cost. We want to work with physicians and caregivers who can align to our mission and help us serve patients and communities.

Physicians want to provide the best care with useful data, streamlined systems, and financial incentives that support their work. That includes timely information about care gaps and hospital use, plus clear referral pathways and support for complex patients.

Payment models are evolving to further recognize care coordination and prevention. We can’t ask physicians to manage populations while we’re only paying for visits and procedures. Trust matters too. Independent physicians need to know we’re partners, not trying to control their practices.

Medicaid cuts are putting real pressure on health systems serving vulnerable populations. Banner’s Medicaid Insurance program has more than 300,000 Medicaid lives. How do you think about a health system’s obligations when policy is working against the communities you’ve committed to serve?

As a nonprofit accountable to our communities, Banner provides more than $1 billion annually in community benefit.

When people lose coverage, their health needs don’t disappear; they simply delay care, stop medications, or wait until conditions become emergencies. A patient who loses transportation assistance may miss dialysis appointments, leading to a costly emergency hospitalization. The services most at risk—transportation, behavioral health, and chronic care management—are exactly the ones that prevent those crises.

We’ll keep improving efficiency and protecting access. But efficiency can’t replace major coverage losses. Sustainable solutions require partnership between health systems and policymakers on payment models that support coordinated care and protect vulnerable populations.

Banner came out of the pandemic with a very different workforce. What does culture-building look like at scale when so much of your team is relatively new?

Culture is built through trust and clear expectations. At Banner, One Team is our North Star. It’s how 60,000 employees across roles and locations work together to improve patients’ lives. We’re focused on communication and frequent “voice” surveys to understand the needs of our team. In our 2025 VOICE survey, 89% said Banner leaders value their input. That feedback matters. It’s how we stay connected to what’s working and what needs attention.

Many team members joined during or after the pandemic, and our industry-leading retention means less than 15% turnover compared to an industry average in the low 20s; 85% of Banner team members report feeling a sense of belonging.

We’re actively investing in improving our physician and team member experience. For example, ambient documentation technology reduced documentation time, giving clinicians more face time with those they serve.

My job is to set expectations, listen, and hold leaders accountable. But culture isn’t built from the top down. It’s built by all 60,000 team members living our values every day. That’s what makes Banner both a great place to work and a great place to receive care.