Chemo Café: Leadership, Teamwork and Communication Strategies for Transforming the Delivery of Service for IV Cancer Patients
Michael Matthews, Barbara Burgess-Wilkerson, Barbara Fuller, Reggie Titmas

Abstract
Barbara Smith and Carl Mason are healthcare administrators: Barbara was a seasoned and experienced professional, while Carl was a young healthcare administrator whose first leadership experience was serving cancer patients receiving intravenous (IV) chemotherapy at a regional medical facility. Carl experienced growth in the areas of alternative medicine, teamwork, leadership, and communications as he struggled to change the social interactions among patients by providing mentally stimulating/stress reducing activities to patients facing life-threatening diseases. This case highlights the experiences of Barbara and Carl in the areas of leadership, teamwork, and communication strategies and how healthcare administrators can utilize these strategies to improve the care of patients receiving IV chemotherapy. Carl and Barbara demonstrate how new healthcare management can engage patients, family members, and the healthcare team to improve healthcare delivery mechanisms with innovative ways of thinking about patient care.

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