Oncology: who's managing outpatient programs?

This issue's cover story asks the question "Who's managing outpatient cancer services?" Data from the American Hospital Association indicate that in many hospitals no one is. In fact, the AHA's survey shows that 90 percent of polled hospitals had no central outpatient cancer program product line manager, and only 27 percent of the outpatient cancer programs had full-time administrators. But this situation is bound to change. As this cover story details, outpatient oncology is becoming a priority program for many hospitals, at the same time that inadequate inpatient reimbursement, patient preference, and new therapies and technologies are quickly shifting the bulk of cancer patients to the outpatient setting. Moreover, significant changes in outpatient payment policies are in the offing.