Banner Health CEO named among top 100 influencers in healthcare in 2020

Peter Fine, president and CEO of one of largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the nation, Phoenix-based Banner Health, once again has been named among the most important influencers in the industry.

For the eighth time, Fine made the annual 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare 2020 by Modern Healthcare, a leading provider of healthcare business news for industry executives.

Now in its 19th year, the program honors individuals who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of the magazine to be the most influential individuals in the industry in terms of leadership and impact.

Focus on pandemic in 2020

Fine, who has been CEO and president of Banner Health since 2000, made the No. 92 spot in the 2020 rankings. This year, the program focused attention on individuals who excelled in guiding the industry through the public healthcare crisis.

Frontline workers took the No. 1 sport in the rankings as “the true heroes of this pandemic,” writes Ginger Christ, post-acute care and staffing reporter at Modern Healthcare.

CDC estimates that more than 2.2 million health care workers have contracted the novel coronavirus and nearly 900 of those workers have died, Christ wrote.

Employees are the real heroes

Like a true leader, Fine refused to take any credit for the honor, saying Banner employees did all the real work during an incredibly tough year.

“Banner’s frontline health care workers, support staff and leadership team have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, overcoming extraordinary obstacles to keep our patients’ care and safety at the forefront throughout,” he said. “Our people are what make Banner Health among the very best in health care.”

When Covid-19 erupted last year, Banner swiftly established test collection sites, expanded telehealth technology for patient care to all Banner providers, and increased public awareness with the “Mask Up” campaign in Arizona.

Leading Banner through substantial growth

In addition to guiding the organization through Covid-19, Fine has also steered the hospital system through considerable growth over two decades to become one of the nation’s largest secular nonprofit healthcare organizations.

Today, Banner operates 30 hospitals and other facilities with more than 52,000 employees across six western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.

Over the past few years, Fine has led projects like integrating an academic enterprise in partnership with the University of Arizona, partnering with Aetna on a commercial insurance product, growing its portfolio of ambulatory companies, growing Banner’s footprint in positive health outcomes, and expanding the geography of Banner’s Medicaid plan.

Currently, Banner Health is investing nearly $400 million in expansion projects in the East Valley at Banner Desert in Mesa and Banner Gateway medical centers, including a $243 million expansion project at its hospital in Gilbert.

Long career in healthcare, public service

Prior to his appointment at Banner, Fine held a number of administrative positions with healthcare systems. Before arriving at Banner, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care, a large integrated system serving all of eastern Wisconsin. Before taking that role, he was president of Aurora’s West Allis Memorial Hospital near Milwaukee. In addition, he was president and chief executive officer of Grant Hospital and senior vice president of operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, both in Chicago, and assistant administrator of Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Fine also holds a number of professional and public service posts. He is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and previously served as a member of its Board of Governors. He is a member of the American Hospital Association, Health Management Academy, Greater Phoenix Leadership, and serves on the board of directors for Premier, Inc., Greater Phoenix Leadership, and Banner Health.

Honored for his administrative leadership

Over the years, Fine has received many honors and titles such as Modern Healthcare and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s CEO IT Achievement Award, Phoenix Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award, Arizona Business Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Healthcare Leadership Award, and B’nai B’rith International’s National Healthcare Award.