Oncology

Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, both in Providence, R.I., have merged their open-heart surgery programs, according to a news release by Lifespan, the parent company of both Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals.

Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise, Ore., has expanded its oncology services by opening the Outpatient Oncology and Infusion Clinic, according to a Wallowa County Chieftain report.

White County Medical Center in Searcy, Ark., has opened its Cancer Center of Excellence, according to a Today's THV report.

Baptist Memorial Medical Group, an affiliate of Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care, has acquired the Boston Baskin Cancer Group and formed the Boston Baskin Cancer Foundation, according to a health system news release.

New York's Department of Health voted 16-2 to approve New York City-based Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's proposal of a $142 million outpatient cancer center in Westchester County, according to a Crain's New York Business report.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston is planning to create a new, approximately $20 million comprehensive cancer center in Needham, Mass., according to a hospital news release.

The director of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center in Baltimore said the United States can expect a shortage of oncologists in the coming years, according to a Peoria Journal Star report.

The Mayo Clinic has started construction on an experimental cancer treatment center on its Rochester, Minn., campus with plans to begin construction for a similar center on its Phoenix, Ariz., campus, according to a Finance and Commerce report.

Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville, Ohio, plans to break ground on a $20 million construction project on Sept. 30, according to a Dayton Daily News report.

A group of healthcare professionals, policy makers and cancer survivors provided insight into the reasons for the high cost of cancer care and offered possible solutions to make a "radical shift in cancer policy" in a report in The Lancet…