"We are speeding up the process," Dr. Michael Jellinek, senior vice president of administration at MGH, tells GlobeSt.com. "This was originally a three-phase project which we will now build in two steps." The project involves erecting two buildings of 380,000 sf and 220,000 sf. The third step, which was supposed to be an addition to the first building will now be rolled into the first step.

"Our cancer patient volume has doubled," Jellinek points out. "Over the last four years outpatient cancer care has increased 100% and chemotherapy care has increased 115%." A third of the first building will be devoted to cancer-related services. Rising construction costs have also affected the project according to Jellinek. "The escalation in overall costs is greater than 10%," he says. "We were concerned that if we did the project in separate pieces it would be more expensive."

The hospital has raised $25 million from donors and is committed to raising an additional $65 million. The rest of the project will come out of hospital funding and loans. "Our bond rating and creditworthiness is very high so I don't think we'll have any problem finding financing.," says Jellinek.