Can a facility have two cancer liaison physicians?
A. The Commission on Cancer recommends that one physician fill the role of the Cancer Liaison Physician. This will ensure that the CoC maintains communication with one individual who can then, in turn, share these communications with the cancer committee. The CoC often uses the Cancer Liaison Physician as the gateway to the cancer program, therefore it works most effectively when one person serves as the direct contact for CoC initiatives. Exceptions for the appointment of two Cancer Liaison Physicians are made for larger facilities and for those facilities where the physicians are unable to handle the responsibilities due to time constraints. If a facility chooses to appoint two Cancer Liaison Physicians, written documentation of the reason for appointment must be submitted to and approved by the CoC. Note: If an additional Cancer Liaison Physician is appointed, the facility must enter this additional contact information in the Facility Information Profile System (FIPS).
