A $14.5 million comprehensive cancer center is coming to Northwest Ohio, the result of a partnership between Mercy and Toledo Clinic.
The nearly 40,000-square-foot Mercy Perrysburg Cancer Center will open in early 2016, according to a Feb. 26 news release.
The center will be developed on the site of the Mercy Medical Center campus that house the freestanding emergency center and imaging services, at the intersection of Dixie Highway (Route 25) and Eckel Junction Road in Perrysburg.
The center will offer access to the region’s largest team of medical oncologists who together will provide a comprehensive treatment plan designed for the unique needs of each patient that may include diagnostics, surgical consultation, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and access to clinical trials, all provided in an integrated approach in one location, according to the release.
Illustration courtesy Mercy
“This is an exciting day for Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan,” said Dr. Imran Andrabi, Mercy’s chief operating officer in a news release. “Today is about bringing full service, coordinated cancer care to one, central location for patients and their families. Mercy is proud to partner with The Toledo Clinic, the leader in medical oncology care in this region. Our model will have more than 12 oncologists, the largest group in the region, that will work together to enhance care and develop areas of specialization in cancer care that will attract additional high-caliber physicians.”
The center will improve oncology services, which are currently “fragmented” and not well-coordinated between hospitals and private practice entities, according to the release. As such, there are currently no collaboratively developed and shared care protocols, standards, registration and billing processes and quality measures.
“The Toledo Clinic and Mercy have come together to develop a program that will uniquely meet the needs of patients here in Northwest Ohio,” said Dr. Rex Mowat, Toledo Clinic’s managing partner and medical director for Mercy Perrysburg Cancer Center, in the release. “Through our size and scope we will enhance our research and provide patients access to clinical trials that are currently not available in the market. Our partnership will enhance care to patients by combining the benefits of a private practice model with the depth and access to services offered by a large health care system.”
According to the release, Mercy Perrysburg Cancer Center will offer four key benefits for patients, reducing the need for patients to travel outside the community for care:
- Improved care coordination and quality of care: By working in partnership, Mercy and Toledo Clinic can combine best practices and quality standards to provide a single, coordinated care pathway for all patients, improving efficiencies, accessibility and convenience for cancer care patients.
- Enhanced integration with other physician specialists: The partnership will enhance alignment between medical oncologists with other radiation oncologists, surgeons, surgical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and other specialists. Having all cancer specialists under one umbrella allows for better coordination of care for patients.
- Increased access to clinical trials: A more robust clinical research program will allow cancer patients and physicians access to more clinical trials, which often provide advanced and therapeutic treatment options and improve recognition of high quality care standards.
- Increased supportive care services: The center will be committed to providing additional supportive care for cancer patients, including patient navigators, generics counseling and testing, survivorship program, nutritional counselors, social workers and clinical research personnel. These programs are incredibly important to overall health and management of cancer patients throughout their course of treatment, survivorship stage and end of life care.
Mercy is part of Mercy Health, Ohio’s largest health provider, and Toledo Clinic is the region’s largest group of independent physicians.
“At Mercy, our 160-year mission guides us, leading us on a journey of transforming how we provide healthcare in this community, caring for mind, body and spirit,” Andrabi stated in the release. “The new facility supports Mercy’s strategy to expand our ambulatory footprint in the market and align with physician partners to build a system of care that makes healthcare easier and provides enhanced access for patients and families. The Toledo Clinic is a key partner in transforming care and we look forward to this new endeavor with them.”
