Banner Health not making Memorial bid

Arizona-based nonprofit Banner Health said that it will not be bidding to lease Memorial Health System.

A spokeswoman for Banner released a statement Wednesday saying that "Banner Health has decided to pass on the opportunity to participate on the RFP (request for proposals) regarding Memorial Health System. We wish Memorial the best in its efforts to secure a solid future so that the system can continue to provide excellent patient care to people in and around Colorado Springs.”

She said Banner would not comment further on its decision.

Banner Health operates four hospitals in Northern Colorado. Banner spokesman Bill Byron had said earlier that Memorial would be a good geographic fit for the company and that Banner's experience with leasing hospitals would make it a good manager for the city-owned Memorial.

A city task force sent out requests for proposals to lease Memorial to several large hospital companies in mid-October. Proposals are due Nov. 14. The task force members will score the proposals individually by Dec. 1, then make the bids public and invite bidders to answer questions from the public about their offers. The task force will recommend a winning bid by the end of the year and voters will approve or reject the offer sometime in 2012.

Tennessee-based for-profit HCA Healthcare, Tennessee-based for-profit Community Health Systems, Colorado-based nonprofit Centura Health, the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver-based nonprofit Exempla Healthcare and Memorial's current board and management have also indicated they plan to bid on leasing Memorial.