Free-standing cancer centers: rationale for improving cancer care delivery

Free-standing cancer centers (FSCC) represent a growing trend in cancer care delivery within community practice. The critical components to FSCC are multidisciplinary cancer care, a complete menu of direct care and support services, a commitment to clinical trials and clinical investigation, and a comprehensive program for quality assurance. The advantages of FSCC to the community, to hospital programs, to the practicing surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists, and to the third-party carriers, including health maintenance organizations, are detailed. The development of an FSCC depends on the resolution of issues of (a) competition (between hospitals, hospitals and physicians, therapeutic disciplines, regional comprehensive cancer centers and FSCCs) and (b) concerns about conflict of interest. The ideal model of FSCC may well be represented by the joint venture of community hospital(s) and the community oncologists.