Role and Responsibilities of the Cancer Liaison Physician and the State Chair
Cancer Liaison Physician | State Chair
The Cancer Liaison Program is composed of 1,500 Cancer Liaison Physicians (CLPs) serving in Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer programs. In addition, there is a network of 64 State Chairs (one or two per state or region) who support and provide direction to the CLPs.
Cancer Liaison Physicians (CLPs) are volunteer physicians who:
- Monitor and interpret their cancer program’s performance using National Cancer Database (NCDB) data to evaluate and improve the quality of cancer care.
- Report and discuss the facility’s performance and response related to accountability and quality improvement standards with the cancer committee at least four times annually.
- Report on Commission on Cancer (CoC) activities, initiatives, and priorities to the cancer committee.
- Serve as liaison for the cancer program with the American Cancer Society.
- Attend the CoC survey and meet with the surveyor. (A designee who is a member of the medical staff may be appointed to meet this requirement).
CLPs are a required component of CoC-accredited cancer programs and serve a three-year term with eligibility to serve an unlimited number of terms.
For more information:
Cancer Liaison Physician Role and Responsibilities (25K PDF)
Selection, Appointment, and Evaluation Process (30K PDF)
Commission on Cancer Accreditation Standard 4.3, Cancer Liaison Physician Responsibilities (25K PDF)
Electronic Cancer Liaison Physician Appointment Application
Printable Cancer Liaison Physician Appointment Application (75K PDF)
State Chairs are volunteer physicians, most often surgeons, who serve as representatives of the CoC in their state or region. They are collaborators, innovators, and experts working with cancer programs, cancer professionals, and state coalitions to improve the quality of cancer care. State Chairs are a resource and provide direction for the Cancer Liaison Physicians.
Responsibilities of the State Chair include:
- Communicating with the Cancer Liaison Physicians in their state and hosting an annual meeting.
- Supporting and providing direction for CoC activities such as program recruitment and utilizing NCDB data.
- Using NCDB data to monitor and evaluate the state or region’s performance related to standards of care.
- Participating in collaborative activities with the local American College of Surgeons chapter, the American Cancer Society, and the State Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition (optional)
For more information:
State Chair Role and Responsibilities (30K PDF)
Selection, Appointment, and Evaluation Process (25K PDF)
Revised December 7, 2010