COVID-19 and Cancer Center Operations: Lessons Learned From the NCCN Best Practices Committee

Authors:
Jessica M. Sugalski National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania

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 MPPA
,
Theresa Franco Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, Omaha, Nebraska

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 MSN, RN
,
Lawrence N. Shulman Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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 MD
,
Elizabeth Souza Massachusettes General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts

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 MHA
,
Ephraim Hochberg Massachusettes General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts

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 MD
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Anne Chiang Smilow Cancer Hospital/Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut

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 MD, PhD
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Scott Lawrence Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, Maryland

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 DC
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Diana Krause National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania

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 MHA
, and
Timothy Kubal Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida

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 MD, MBA
Volume/Issue:
Volume 20: Issue 13
Online Publication Date:
06 Jan 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6004/jnccn.2021.7102
Restricted access

The NCCN Best Practices Committee, which is composed of senior physician, nursing, and administrative leaders from NCCN Member Institutions, evaluated the status of cancer center operations after 1 year of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two major initiatives stood out: the increase in the utilization of network sites, and the gains made in telemedicine operations and reimbursement. Experts from NCCN Member Institutions participated in a webinar series in June 2021 to share their experiences, knowledge, and thoughts on these topics and discuss the impact on the future of cancer care.

Submitted August 19, 2021; accepted for publication October 12, 2021. Published online January 6, 2022.

Disclosures: The authors have disclosed that they have no financial interests, arrangements, or affiliations with the manufacturers of any products discussed in this article or their competitors.

Correspondence: Jessica Sugalski, MPPA, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 3025 Chemical Road, Suite 100, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. Email: sugalski@nccn.org
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Print ISSN:
1540-1405
Online ISSN:
1540-1413
Publisher:
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Cover Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
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Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2022
Article Category:
Brief Report
Received:
19 Aug 2021
Accepted:
12 Oct 2021
Print Publication Date:
01 Dec 2022
Online Publication Date:
06 Jan 2022

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