Job Abstract

The Cancer Registrar will assure that complete and accurate data are collected and maintained for all malignant disease and/or specific benign tumors diagnosed and/or treated within Keck Medical Center and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital. Accuracy of abstracting is of utmost importance as physicians and scientists use our data to evaluate treatment methods. Additionally, our data is publically compared to regional and national standards of care. Registry abstractors must possess the ability to review data/documents accurately and consistently, accept and learn from constructive feedback, make decisions with limited information, and stay abreast of changes made by regulatory organizations to maintain compliance. This position compiles cancer related patient data and supports the research, prevention, and control initiatives according to the California Cancer Registry, the American College of Surgeons, and the organizational priorities of Keck Medicine of USC.

Essential Duties:

• CASE ABSTRACTING: • Identify, code and classify data from the medical record and other available documents that includes, but is not limited to: patient identification, accession number, sequence, physicians and institutions involved in the case, cancer identification, stage of disease at diagnosis, first and subsequent courses of treatment, tumor and vital status, treatment outcomes, case administration, state and organization-specific information • Performs case-abstracting tasks in accordance with applicable facility, State of California, Federal and CoC-accreditation requirements • Ensures that all eligible analytical cases are staged in accordance with the AJCC TNM, Collaborative Stage, SEER and other applicable staging system requirements and in accordance with the Cancer Registry staging policy and procedure. • Maintains a 97% accuracy rating on all case abstracting as recommended by standard-setting agencies • Maintains a minimum compliance and productivity standards as defined by the facility’s cancer registry department under the direction of the Cancer Committee • Monitors suspense or assigned caseload to ensure that abstracting takes place within the reporting timeframes as specified by the facility, state, and CoC-accreditation requirements. • Ensures that all interactive data edits and data discrepancies are cleaned and each case is completed (as determined by the case status flag) prior to the established transmission or reporting date(s)
• CASEFINDING: • Work with all in the institution to ensure complete case finding • Apply all relevant multiple primary (MP/H), case reportability and ambiguous terminology rules to the case finding list by identifying any new or multiple primary cancers to be abstracted • Using all available source documents, identifies all reportable cases and enters each in to the cancer registry database system. Minimum information entered for all suspense cases includes, but is not limited to, specified fields in patient demographics, case identification, imaging and pathology sections of the case abstract. • Assigns the correct accession number, sequence, year first seen, date first seen, date of diagnosis • Responds to case-to-case queries, phone calls and other correspondence regarding missed cases or cases still held in suspense as requested by state, CoC, and facility staff and customers
• FOLLOW-UP: • Assist with maintenance of CoC required lost to follow-up rates. In a systematic manner, utilizing the HER and approved internet resources, follow up is conducted by updating treatment, disease status, recording recurrence date and selecting the most appropriate recurrence type code by utilizing ACOS COC abstracting rules (FORDS/STORE), and the MP/H manual general instructions.
• IN GENERAL: • Ability to multitask, possess good problem-solving skills and attention to detail • Ability to be a team player in a team oriented environment • Ability to troubleshoot software and system issues • Contributes to a positive and successful work environment and maintains an efficient workflow within the Cancer Registry • Attends Tumor Boards, Case Conference and Grand Rounds as requested. Documents case discussions including treatment plans, staging or other information utilized by the Cancer Registry • Attends Cancer Committee meetings, department staff meetings, and other facility or departmental meetings as requested. • Self-motivated to improve own knowledge and performance to sustain and enhance professional development • Proactively seeks and participates in educational training and development activities with Cancer Registry, healthcare, business and professional development venues to ensure awareness of the latest information available for Oncology and Cancer Registry specific reporting requirements and data collection standards • Attends local, regional or national employer-paid educational and training conferences as requested • Develops intermediate to advanced skills, knowledge and use of: • All USC system-wide manual and electronic systems and processes • Local, regional and nationally available electronic and printed oncology and Cancer Registry tools and references • All Cancer Registry standard-setting agencies and their respective reporting standards and guidelines • Facility-specific and nationally accepted Cancer Registry best practice standards for respective job duties and tasks
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school or equivalent

• Experience with computer and Microsoft software (Windows, MS Word, MS Excel)

• Must demonstrate excellent communication skills and diplomacy in dealing with public, hospital and medical staff.
• Must have strong attention to detail.
• Must have a thorough knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, oncology terminology, oncology physiology, and oncologic diagnostic and treatment modalities, typically obtained at the collegiate level.
• Must understand clinical pathways to determine what types of treatment should be expected based on site, extent and type of cancer.
• Must be proficient in morphology and topographic site coding by International Classification of Diseases (both ICD-9, ICD-10, and ICD-O). Expertise is required in current staging schemes (SEER Summary, SEER Extent of Disease, Collaborative Stage, and American Joint Committee Cancer Staging TNM.
• Must have excellent computer skills with a working knowledge of the CNExT cancer reporting software or equivalent, MS Word and Excel or other spreadsheet and work processing applications.
• Must be able to manipulate the database for reports and studies for researchers and administrators, as well as clinicians.
• Must be very familiar with information systems technology required for data export, transmission to state, file creation, etc.
• Must at all times, maintain and respect confidentiality of sensitive data, files, etc. and be familiar with HIPAA rules.
• Must have the ability to organize and prioritize a large volume of work and to adapt to changing priorities.
• Organization/time management skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate's degree in a related field
• Specialized/technical training Successful completion of a Cancer Information Management Program recognized by the National Cancer Registrars Association
• 1 year Experience in an acute care facility and experience in using computerized abstracting and coding database systems
• Comparable work or life experience.
• Experience in a CoC approved facility.
• NCI-Comprehensive Cancer Center experience.

Required Licenses/Certifications:

• Certified Tumor Registrar (NCRA) If CTR-eligible but without certification - commitment to sit for CTR exam required; timeframe dependent on CTR eligibility status.
• Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu.  Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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