UC San Diego Health System said it will purchase the Nevada Cancer Institute, a 142,000-square-foot facility in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas that’s treated more than 7,000 patients since opening in 2005.
“We are proud to have Nevada Cancer Institute join UC San Diego Health System,” said Tom McAfee, M.D., interim CEO of UC San Diego Health System and dean of clinical affairs.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. UCSD Health System said it purchased the nonprofit institute with clinical revenue generated by its hospitals, and did not use any state funding.
“In light of health care reform, innovative partnerships between states and their health systems will be key to increasing access to specialized care while managing health care costs,” McAfee said.
He noted that both Stanford University and Cleveland Clinic have pursued this strategy to care for neurological patients outside of their local areas. “UC San Diego Health System is advancing this approach for the full spectrum of cancers — a strength of our clinical enterprise,” he said.
The facility will be renamed UC San Diego NVCI.
UCSD said it plans to recruit medical and surgical oncologists for the center and begin a national search for a physician-scientist to serve as director.
UC San Diego Health System is comprised of UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, and UC San Diego Thornton Hospital, Moores Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Center, and Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center in La Jolla, as well as other primary and specialty practices of UC San Diego Medical Group.
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, which is home to nearly 350 medical and radiation oncologists, cancer surgeons, and researchers, is one of only 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country, and the only one in the region.
— Kelly Quigley