Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Tumor Registrar

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a meticulous and detail-oriented professional with a passion for data integrity in the fight against cancer? This role requires a dedicated Tumor Registrar to join our dynamic oncology team. In this pivotal role, you will be the primary steward of our cancer registry, responsible for collecting, managing, and analyzing comprehensive cancer data. Your work is critical for improving patient outcomes, supporting clinical research, and ensuring our facility's compliance with national accreditation standards. By transforming patient information into high-quality, actionable data, you will directly contribute to the advancement of cancer care and treatment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Health Information Technician (RHIT)
Medical Coder
Oncology Nurse or Clinical Staff with data interest

Advancement To:

Cancer Registry Manager or Supervisor
Oncology Data Quality Manager
Director of Cancer Information Services

Lateral Moves:

Clinical Data Analyst (Oncology)
Quality Improvement Specialist
Clinical Research Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Systematically identify all reportable cancer cases by reviewing pathology reports, disease indices, radiation oncology logs, and other relevant sources to ensure complete case ascertainment.
Perform comprehensive and accurate abstracting of patient demographics, cancer identification, treatment details, and survival data into the cancer registry software in accordance with operational standards.
Assign correct medical codes for topography, morphology, and stage of disease using ICD-O, SEER, AJCC TNM, and other required coding and staging systems.
Meticulously manage a life-long follow-up process on all analytic cases in the registry database, ensuring a follow-up rate of 90% or higher as required by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer (CoC).
Ensure the timely and accurate submission of cancer data to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), State Cancer Registry, and other mandated reporting agencies.
Uphold strict confidentiality and security of patient information, adhering to all HIPAA regulations and institutional policies regarding protected health information (PHI).
Analyze and resolve complex data edits and error reports from state and national agencies to guarantee the highest quality of submitted data.
Maintain the cancer registry suspense list, ensuring that all identified cases are abstracted and completed within the timeframes established by accreditation bodies.
Collaborate directly with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers to clarify ambiguous or incomplete documentation in patient records to ensure data accuracy.
Conduct regular quality control reviews of registry data, including peer review of abstracts, to maintain exceptional data integrity and reliability.
Stay current with all changes and updates in cancer registration guidelines, staging systems, and coding standards from ACoS CoC, SEER, and other relevant organizations.
Actively participate in preparations for ACoS Commission on Cancer accreditation surveys, including data compilation and presentation.
Manage and process incoming data from external sources, such as other treatment facilities or state death certificate files, to complete patient abstracts.

Secondary Functions

Coordinate and support the activities of the institutional Cancer Committee and multidisciplinary cancer conferences (Tumor Boards), including agenda preparation, case presentation, and minute-taking.
Generate and disseminate standard and ad-hoc statistical reports, data summaries, and graphic presentations for hospital administration, medical staff, and researchers.
Assist physicians, epidemiologists, and other researchers in conducting studies by providing accurate data retrieval and analysis from the cancer registry.
Participate in quality improvement initiatives and patient care evaluation studies as directed by the Cancer Committee or hospital leadership.
Serve as a subject matter expert and educational resource on cancer data management and registry standards for other hospital departments and staff.
Contribute to the development and revision of cancer registry policies and procedures to ensure they reflect current standards and best practices.
Provide training and mentorship to new or junior members of the cancer registry team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CTR (Certified Tumor Registrar) credential is required.
Proficiency with cancer registry software (e.g., METRIQ, OncoLog, C/NExT, or similar).
Expert knowledge of ICD-O coding, AJCC TNM Staging, SEER Summary Staging, and FORDS.
In-depth understanding of ACoS Commission on Cancer (CoC) and state reporting standards.
Strong knowledge of medical terminology, human anatomy, and physiology, particularly as they relate to oncology.
Competency in using Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems for data abstraction.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel for data reporting and analysis.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy in data entry and review.
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to investigate and resolve data discrepancies.
Excellent time management and organizational skills, with the ability to work independently and meet strict deadlines.
Effective written and verbal communication skills for interacting with clinical staff and other stakeholders.
High level of personal integrity and a demonstrated ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
Proactive problem-solving abilities and a commitment to continuous quality improvement.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate's degree.
Completion of a NCRA-accredited program in Cancer Information Management or Cancer Registry Management.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Health Information Management (HIM)
Health Sciences or a related field

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of experience in an ACoS-approved cancer registry.

Preferred: At least 3 years of abstracting experience as a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) in a hospital setting.