Lifespan proposes to eliminate heart surgery at Miriam, move all to Rhode Island

Officials of the Lifespan hospital group Tuesday described their proposal to close the heart-surgery program at Miriam Hospital and merge it with the one at Rhode Island Hospital, consolidating all heart surgery in the state into a single program.

They detailed their plan, which requires Health Department approval: To spend $2.8 million renovating the Bridge Building at Rhode Island Hospital so that starting next year all five cardiac surgeons in the state would operate at Rhode Island, doing about 720 procedures a year.