142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

315721
How an informatics solution increased efficiency and reduced costs in a central cancer registry (CCR)

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Julie Jaddoo, BS , Dept. of Health Management & Informatics, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Missouri Cancer Registry and Research Center, Columbia, MO
Jeannette Jackson-Thompson, MSPH, PhD , Missouri Cancer Registry and Research Center/Dept. of Health Management & Informatics, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO
Saba Yemane, BS , Missouri Cancer Registry & Research Center/Dept. of Health Management & Informatics, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO
BACKGROUND: Missouri Cancer Registry and Research Center (MCR-ARC) staff process more than 80,000 records each year, primarily electronic hospital abstracts. Records from non-hospital sources (e.g., physician offices and pathology reports) were manually entered into a database so any follow-back that was needed could be accomplished. This was labor intensive, time-consuming and a potential source of errors.

PURPOSE: To create a more automated way of entering reports into the CCR database.

METHODS: The information in the report in use was exported to a text file in order to identify the required data elements. A program was written to read and parse all fields into an array. The data elements were then imported into the database. Testing of the program was done with MCR-ARC’s Database Administrator, after which Certified Tumor Registrars (CTRs) tested the user interface portion. 

RESULTS: The program imports the required fields of the text file into the CCR database.  The only manual input required is the selection of the file for import. 

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: The program automates the process of getting the data into the CCR database. Since the reports were electronic, it only made sense to have staff enter records in the CCR database with little human intervention. This reduces the need for manual input and improves the efficiency and accuracy of the process. It also makes data available in a timelier manner.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate how automation can improve efficiency and accuracy. Identify at least two processes that can be automated. Explain one major difference between cases submitted by hospitals and cases submitted by several non-hospital sources.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: tba
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.