Newswise — New Brunswick, NJ, May 16, 2011 – Measuring up, managing data, and moving quality initiatives forward. Those key elements will be at focus today during a national meeting of experts who collect, manage and analyze cancer data. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Network of hospitals is a national leader in this area, and CINJ Network Director Molly Gabel, MD, has been invited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) to share her expertise with hundreds of participants during the National Cancer Registrars Association 37th Annual Conference in Orlando. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
While the collection of cancer data has been a constant throughout the history of the disease, the first evaluation standards for cancer clinics and cancer registries were not published by the American College of Surgeons until the 1930’s. With advancements in technology, healthcare professionals are engaging in more precise ways to utilize cancer data and to identify mechanisms to improve cancer care, while meeting the high quality standards for accreditation by the CoC.
Helping to further shape nationwide data collection efforts and optimize how that information is used is CINJ’s Network of hospitals. The CINJ Network was one of the lead entities invited by the CoC in 2009 to help steer a national initiative aimed at improving data collection on cancer treatment and creating a new quality assessment system entitled Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) for use by health providers across the country. CINJ is also a partner in the management of the New Jersey State Cancer Registry, which is a National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database utilized by researchers nationwide to conduct population-based and other studies pertaining to cancer. Dr. Gabel’s presentation will focus on how to utilize data to manage patient care and also improve care processes. And based on the CINJ Network model, she also will address how institutions can use such data to compare themselves to similar entities on local, regional and national levels so that they can identify areas for improvement.
“One has to have forward thinking when reviewing cancer data,” Gabel noted. “Instead of looking at high percentages of patients with advanced stage breast cancer at an institution and simply concluding that those numbers are high, one needs to take a step further and ask questions such as ‘do we have an opportunity to develop a clinical trial for this aggressive disease’ or ‘do we need a patient navigator for this population?’ It is all about moving forward in the best interest of patient care.” In pilot testing the RQRS system, Gabel has been leading the CINJ Network hospitals in developing and implementing quality interventions, as well as immediately measuring outcomes. “Data that are collected in a comprehensive, yet streamlined fashion provide for rapid performance feedback and allow cancer care providers multiple opportunities to identify and improve best practices across the care continuum,” said Gabel, who is also an associate professor of radiation oncology at UMNDJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “The CINJ Network is proud to help move the standard forward, and I am proud to be able to present creative, effective quality initiatives conducted at various CINJ Network hospitals throughout New Jersey.”
CINJ’s Network of hospitals is instrumental in providing its patients with outstanding cancer programs that emphasize state-of-the-art cancer care through clinical research, prevention and education components across the state. Through affiliation with CINJ, Network hospitals are able to provide access to clinical trials for their patients, available only at NCI-designated cancer centers and their networks. CINJ also provides its Network hospitals with professional education, community education and outreach, and other services that enhance their cancer programs.
The National Cancer Registrars Association 37th Annual Conference is open to registered participants only.
About The Cancer Institute of New JerseyThe Cancer Institute of New Jersey (www.cinj.org) is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center dedicated to improving the detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer, and serving as an education resource for cancer prevention. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. To make a tax-deductible gift to support CINJ, call 732-235-8614 or visit www.cinjfoundation.org. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The CINJ Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides the highest quality cancer care and rapid dissemination of important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. System Partner: Meridian Health (Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, and Southern Ocean Medical Center, and Bayshore Community Hospital). Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Hospital, and Cooper University Hospital. Affiliate Hospitals: CentraState Healthcare System, JFK Medical Center, Mountainside Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (CINJ Hamilton), Somerset Medical Center, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton. *Academic Affiliate
RSS