Hospital Certification

Mississippi Cancer Registry

In October 2007, the Mississippi Cancer Registrar’s Association participated in the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries’ (NAACCR’s) Process Improvement Workshop. At the workshop, the Mississippi Cancer Registry (MCR) learned that registrars would like a program of recognition. MCR staff developed a gold and silver certification process for hospitals modeled after NAACCR’s central registry certification.

To receive gold certification for a year of data—

• A hospital must submit at least 95% of the expected volume of cancer cases that were diagnosed or received the first course of treatment at the hospital.
• Less than 2% of cases are missing the patient’s age, sex, or the city where the patient lived when he or she was diagnosed.
• Less than 3% of cases are missing the patient’s race.
• The hospital must submit information on 100% of unresolved cancer deaths that occurred at the facility by the deadline for the second request for that information.
• The hospital must submit at least 95% of cases within eight months of the date of first contact with the hospital for cancer.

To receive silver certification for a year of data—

• A hospital must submit at least 90% of the expected volume of cases.
• Less than 3% of cases are missing the patient’s age, sex, or city of residence.
• Less than 5% of cases are missing the patient’s race.
• The hospital must submit information on 95% of unresolved cancer deaths that occurred at the facility by the deadline for the second request.
• The hospital must submit at least 90% of cases within eight months of first contact with the hospital for cancer.

Certificates are awarded at the annual Fall Workshop. Letters of recognition are sent to administrators of certified hospitals, and letters of failure to receive certification are sent to administrators of non-certified facilities. Registrars at certified hospitals often receive recognition from their administrators, and strive to make sure they meet the requirements for continued certification. Administrators at most non-certified hospitals have taken action to improve their reporting deficiencies.

The first certifications were awarded at the 2008 Fall Workshop for 2006 data. The MCR met the National Program of Cancer Registries’ (NPCR’s) 12-month standard for data completeness beginning with 2008 data.

This certification provides desired recognition, helps the MCR meet the NPCR’s timeliness criteria, and improves the speed and quality of death clearance procedures. More timely data reduce efforts spent on pathology follow-back and death clearance due to missing data, and allow the MCR to provide more current data to public health officials for use in program planning.