Tufts Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital will merge

Two hospitals in the northeast will join forces in hopes of bringing the region lower-cost medical services, the latest of several  mergers in the area, the Boston Globe reported. Under a tentative agreement approved by both hospital boards, Boston teaching hospital Tufts Medical Center will merge with 434-bed Lowell General Hospital. Each facility will operate independently under a new parent organization, according to the article, leaving room to add more healthcare providers in the future. Each hospital would keep its respective doctor groups, according to the Globe. Many other hospitals throughout the region, including Partners HealthCare System, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Steward Health Care System, acquired various hospitals and doctors' practices in recent years, according to the Globe. Article