Download National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) New National

For Immediate Release Contact: Peggy Meehan, 703‐299‐6640 x317 pmeehan@ncra‐usa.org National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) New National Workload and Staffing Study Provides Key Data to Inform Cancer Registry Staff Planning and Budgeting Arlington, VA, March 23, 2011—The National Cancer Registrars Association’s NCRA Workload and Staffing Study: Guidelines for Hospital Cancer Registry Programs provides hospital cancer registries with national staffing and workload data to inform staff planning and budgeting. The guidelines also serve as a tool for managers in advocating for adequate staffing to meet cancer registration goals. Prepared by Susan A. Chapman, PhD, RN, and Vanessa Lindler, MA, at the Center for Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco, the study responds to earlier research that found the recruitment and retention of cancer registry staff were major concerns of managers, but the lack of national, standardized staffing data made it difficult to accurately assess needs and support hiring. “NCRA responded to the need for more cancer registry staffing data by commissioning this study, which will help registry managers and hospital leadership make sure cancer registries are appropriately staffed,“ said NCRA president Susan M. Koering, MEd, RHIA, CTR. “Cancer registrar programs must be adequately staffed and resourced to ensure that they provide the data needed to make progress in preventing, treating, and curing cancer.” Cancer registrars are medical data professionals that collect, code, and report on cancer data which is then used by healthcare providers and health officials to advance cancer treatment, conduct research, and improve prevention programs. The study included an online survey of 1,240 programs accredited by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) (53% response) and an online survey of 241 non‐CoC accredited programs (36% response). The researchers analyzed the survey outcomes to form the basis for the guidelines. Charts and graphs illustrate many of the results. Key findings include: ƒ The mean (average) hospital cancer registry handled 1,313 newly accessioned cases and 8,003 active/live cases. ƒ The median (middle value) was 900 newly accessioned cases and 5,394 active/live cases. ƒ One‐third of cancer registries had 501 to 1,000 newly accessioned cases; about 58% had new caseloads of 1,000 or less. ƒ Overall, the live/active caseload was six times greater than the new case load. ƒ The mean annual completed caseload per full time equivalent (FTE) was 386; the median was 357 per FTE. The guidelines should be used to estimate staffing needs and not as a strict formula, since each cancer registry is different. For example, the study finds that for a registry with an average caseload of 101‐500 new cases per year, the estimated staffing requirement to perform cancer‐registration activities is 1.6 FTEs. For every increase of 500 cases, the staffing requirement increases approximately one FTE. This may not be the case for all cancer registries. Factors that could affect staffing needs include: registrars are assigned tasks and duties that are not cancer‐registry activities, the availability of data in electronic format, the level of cases in follow‐up, and how much of the manager’s time is spent on specific cancer‐
registration activities. The NCRA Workload and Staffing Study: Guidelines for Hospital Cancer Registry Programs is a product of NCRA’s Workload and Time Management Project and was funded by NCRA, the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The next phase of project includes an analysis of central registry staffing and will be available in the summer of 2011. Chaired by Herman Menck, MBA, FACE, the Technical Advisory Committee members included: Patricia Andrews, MPH; Connie Bura; Mindy Burch, CTR; Asa Carter, CTR; Susan A. Chapman, PhD, RN; Brenda Edwards, PhD; Amy Fremgen, PhD, CTR; Donna Gress, CTR; Ann Griffin, PhD, CTR; Marilyn Hansen, CTR; Terri Harshman; Suzan Hoyler, BS, CTR; Jeanette Jackson‐Thompson, PhD; Joyce Jones, CTR; Robert McBride, CTR; Linda Mulvihill, RHIT, CTR; Melissa Pearson, CTR; Karen Phillips, BS, CTR; Carol Poehl, CTR; Linda Reimers, BS, RHIA, CTR; Jennifer Ruhl, RHIT, CTR; Veronica Shrode, CTR; Lori Swain, MS; Florence Tangka, PhD; Allan Topham, CTR; and Carol Woody. A detailed summary of the NCRA Workload and Staffing Study: Guidelines for Hospital Cancer Registry Programs is available to download free‐of‐charge. The full report is available to download and purchase at NCRA’s Website at www.ncra‐usa.org/workload. Susan Chapman, PhD, RN, the lead researcher, outlined the study’s findings in a webinar, which has been archived and is also available at the link noted above. * * *
About the National Cancer Registrars Association Chartered in May 1974, the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) is a non‐profit organization that represents more than 5,000 cancer registry professionals and Certified Tumor Registrars. The mission of NCRA is to promote education, credentialing, and advocacy for cancer registry professionals. Cancer registrars capture a complete summary of patient history, diagnosis, treatment, and status for every cancer patient in the United States, and other countries as well. Cancer registrars hope their work will lead to better treatments, and ultimately, a cure. For more information about NCRA, visit ncra‐usa.org.