Success Story: NC Central Cancer Registry
As a Senior Product Manager at Modernizing Medicine, I stay busy with compliance-related projects and work daily with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) cancer representatives from various states after our compliance team has implemented requirements for the CDC Cancer report.
To add some perspective, cancer registrars are professionals who capture a complete summary of the history, diagnosis, treatment and disease status for every cancer patient. The work done with registrars leads to better information that is used in the management of cancer, and ultimately, cures. It is also important because it is one of the options for Meaningful Use (MU) objective ten.
For one specific venture, I interfaced directly with Sumana Nagaraj, the subject matter expert for MU2 Cancer reporting project at the NC Central Cancer Registry.
After working with Sumana, she wanted to share her experience and visit to one of the first dermatology practices to send complete cancer data to the NC Central Cancer Registry (CCR).
In Sumana’s Words
Modernizing Medicine’s software is one of the best electronic health record (EHR) systems that we have worked with so far. In fact, it was the very first EHR system with an easy to use cancer log. We recently visited one of the dermatology practices using their [Modernizing Medicine’s] product to gain a better understanding of the EHR system, how the practices fill in the cancer information and how they download data from the interface to send it to the registry, etc. From the practice’s feedback, we have learned that it is one of the easiest to use EHR systems.
Our experiences with the practices have been very positive thus far. Modernizing Medicine provides comprehensive training with respect to the process of submitting cancer reports to the public health agency for the MU cancer reporting measure. Modernizing Medicine has also been very responsive to receiving feedback related to CCR issues. Further, the team there has been successful in fulfilling the requirements and very prompt in responding to all of our queries. The practices referenced were some of the first to send complete cancer data successfully to the NC CCR as Modernizing Medicine was the first vendor able to submit a cancer log.
About Sumana Nagaraj
Sumana Nagaraj is the ePath Applications Analyst/MU2-SME in the Division of Public Health, NC Central Cancer Registry at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Her responsibilities include implementation of physician reporting under the Meaningful use guidelines, which involves providing clinical and technical oversight to participating physicians and vendors.
About North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
The Department of Health and Human Services manages the delivery of health- and human-related services for all North Carolinians, especially our most vulnerable citizens – children, elderly, disabled and low-income families. The Department works closely with health care professionals, community leaders and advocacy groups; local, state and federal entities; and many other stakeholders to make this happen.
The Department is divided into 30 divisions and offices. NCDHHS divisions and offices fall under four broad service areas – health, human services, administrative, and support functions.
NCDHHS also oversees 14 facilities: developmental centers, neuro-medical treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, alcohol and drug abuse treatment centers, and two residential programs for children.