Administrative support
A comprehensive cancer center is supported with an administrative infrastructure that facilitates the overall planning, management, and organization in the delivery of the center's cancer care. This chapter explores the various administrative functions that are integral to the development and implementation of a comprehensive cancer center. Core administrative functions include, but are not limited to, strategic program planning and development, financial management, human resources management, operations management, space and facilities planning, compliance to regulatory and accreditation standards, and facilitation of access/intake functions for new patients entering the center for care. Depending on size of the cancer center and whether it is a freestanding institution, affiliated with an academic medical center, or part of a hospital or health system, the administrative infrastructure can vary in the extent to which operations are centralized versus decentralized. The optimal framework for administrative management can be scaled incrementally as the cancer center grows.
