As the Commission on Cancer surveys for cancer registry processes have evolved over the years, so too have the roles and responsibilities of certified tumor registrars (CTRs).
A cancer registry is an information system designed for the collection, storage and management of data on cancer patients. Registries help clinicians and others get a clearer picture of progress in the efforts to reduce the cancer burden.
UC Clermont College offers an entirely online Cancer Registry Management certificate for students interested in training to become cancer registars.
In the July/August issue of For the Record, the professional publication for health information managers, Linette Kallaos, an adjunct instructor at UC Clermont in the cancer registry program, says proper data maintenance is essential, noting that the Commission on Cancer requires cancer programs to produce three years of information to be reviewed during an audit. (A new audit process begins the day after the previous audit ends.)
Kallaos further explains the integral role of cancer registrars in the audit process and how organizations can be better prepared for future audits.
"Preparing for the audit is an enormous task that uses a lot of cancer program resources," Kallaos says. "It's really about finding an organized and efficient way to collect the required data so it can easily be entered ... Facilities that have a good plan in place when beginning the ACoS audit process will be the most successful on the day of the survey."
