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UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center highlights MRI‑LINAC expansion, flags clinician shortages and $18.3M in uncompensated care
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Summary
UNM’s Comprehensive Cancer Center told the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee it is expanding clinical and research capacity — including an MRI‑LINAC — while recruiting for five open clinical positions and reporting about $18.3 million in uncompensated care in FY 2024.
The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center outlined an aggressive expansion plan and near‑term recruitment challenges in a presentation to the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee.
Dr. Sanchez, director of the cancer center, said the center submitted a 1,700‑page application Sept. 25 to renew its National Cancer Institute (NCI) comprehensive designation and described the center as “one of 57 NCI‑designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation” and part of the top 3% of U.S. cancer centers. He said the center is expanding its research and clinical footprint with a 50,000‑square‑foot building that will house advanced image‑guided therapy and theranostics.
Sanchez emphasized a new MRI‑LINAC image‑guided radiation capability that he said will be “the only one in New Mexico” and one of about 101 such systems worldwide. He also described growth in bone‑marrow/stem‑cell transplantation and consolidation of oncology services into a single 20‑bed wing to increase capacity for complex inpatient care.
On patient volumes and uncompensated care, Sanchez told the committee: “In FY ’24 we saw 16,500 patients, about 104 ambulatory visits, 18,000 therapeutic infusions. The number that I want you to look at is … In FY ’24 we provided $18,300,000 in uncompensated care.” The center said those costs are budgeted through 340B reimbursement and the clinical margin, and that it does not turn patients away.
Committee members pressed the center on staffing. Sanchez acknowledged recent departures in gastrointestinal, breast and genitourinary oncology and said the center has five open positions it is actively recruiting to fill. He described recruitment steps: working with a search firm, contacting fellowship leaders, using Project ECHO to leverage regional expertise and bringing candidates’ families on visits to improve retention. Sanchez said two providers were “in final interview stages.”
On use of search firms, committee members asked about cost. Sanchez declined to name contractors but confirmed the center uses recruitment firms for hard‑to‑fill subspecialty roles and that fees vary by contract structure.
Why it matters: the center’s investments expand access to advanced treatments in New Mexico, but the presenters told lawmakers that clinical capacity and continuity of care depend on hiring specialists and sustaining philanthropic and clinical revenue streams.
What’s next: the committee requested follow‑up information on specific recruitment costs, the timeline for filling open positions and additional details about the MRI‑LINAC installation and related clinical trials.
