Yet another bombshell exploded in the Capital Region’s health care market on Thursday as MD Anderson, perhaps the biggest name in American cancer care, announced a partnership with Ochsner that starts with Baton Rouge.
While not a shock to insiders, the deal represents only the latest seismic shift in the local cancer market over the past year and a half, which also included the breakup of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, the Lake’s $100 million investment in its own cancer center and Mary Bird’s subsequent partnership with Baton Rouge General.
The Lake also is partnering with New Orleans-based LCMC Health and LSU, hoping to help the university establish the state’s first National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
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Ochsner is one of seven MD Anderson partners in the country and the only one in Louisiana. The first phase of the Ochsner MD Anderson partnership includes two locations in Baton Rouge, at Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge and Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove.
The remaining five sites are in the New Orleans area and Covington, and Ochsner and MD Anderson say they will work to certify additional sites in the future. MD Anderson offers access to select clinical trials available to eligible patients as the only phase one clinical trial program in Louisiana, the companies say.
Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge is currently in the last phase of its $10 million multiyear expansion.
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U.S. News and World Report ranks MD Anderson in Houston as the No. 1 cancer hospital in the nation. Capital Region residents often travel there for their cancer treatment, so Ochsner’s leaders are likely hoping the new brand convinces potential patients to stay close to home.
“This is great news for patients in the Baton Rouge area who benefit from the comprehensive care we provide, which is now enhanced by the processes, protocols, and other advantages of the Ochsner MD Anderson partnership,” Chuck Daigle, CEO of Ochsner Baton Rouge, says in a prepared statement. “It is a testament to our ongoing commitment to Baton Rouge’s cancer care that, now, our patients are able to access this elevated care and expanded clinical trials close to home in Baton Rouge.”
This story originally appeared in a June 22 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.