DPH Announces First-of-its-Kind Partnership for Cancer Registry
On Monday, the California Department of Public Health announced a first-of-its kind research project to track cancer trends across the state, Health IT Analytics reports (Heath, Health IT Analytics, 7/28).
Details of Project
According to a release, the project marks the first time a U.S. health system will collect and securely send cancer data to the California Cancer Registry (DPH release, 7/27).
The registry contains information on millions of cancer cases that have been diagnosed in California since 1988. The data include:
- Cancer type;
- Patient demographics; and
- Treatment and survival information (California Healthline,4/3).
Specifically, the project seeks to transition from storing data as text within a hospital or laboratory database to coding the information electronically via the College of American Pathologists' electronic Forms and Reporting Module. Doing so will:
- Allow doctors to report real-time data to the state's cancer registry; and
- Make data exchange easier and more secure.
In addition to DPH and CAP, the partnership initially will involve:
- 10 hospitals in the St. Joseph Health Network; and
- mTuitive, a health IT vendor.
Officials expect to add more health care organizations and facilities in the future.
According to Health IT Analytics, development of the project started in January 2014, and the first data from St. Joseph Health were sent to the registry in March.
DPH Director Karen Smith said, "This partnership is another way in which [DPH] works with the private sector and health care systems to optimize the health and well-being of the people in California," adding, "Every second we save in sharing data gives researchers more time to spend on curing cancer" (Health IT Analytics, 7/28).
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