October 2001
Highlights for the month:
Change for the Better
In the upcoming months, you will notice a few changes with regard to our name, some of our programs, and our Web site. Here are a few examples of changes to get you ready.
The Cancer Department of the American College of Surgeons is now known as the Cancer Programs of the ACoS.
The Facility Information Profile System (FIPS) has replaced the National Cancer Information Center (NCIC) name on our site. The American Cancer Society still maintains the NCIC name.
We've created a section on our Web site called CoC DATAlink. This area will house all of the data gathering elements of the various Cancer Programs. For example, this is where you'll find access to FIPS, as well as online submission areas for NCDB Call for Data submissions and, beginning July 2002, CoC Approvals surveys.
Highlights
Facility Information Profile System Is Up And Running
The Facility Information Profile System (FIPS), formerly known as NCIC, was launched for approved programs more than a month ago. The cancer registrar, cancer committee chair, and cancer liaison physician now have access to update their facility's information via secure server access on the ACoS Web site. The CoC would like to thank all facilities that have visited FIPS to review and accept their data for release to the American Cancer Society's national Cancer Information Center. This is a wonderful benefit of CoC approval, and we look forward to helping you share your facility information with the public through the American Cancer Society Web site.
If you have not yet done so, we encourage you to log onto FIPS to review and update your facility data. FIPS can be accessed through our main menu by clicking on CoC DATAlink (http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/index.html). This revised information will be shared with the American Cancer Society and posted on their Web site during the last week of November. All CoC-approved cancer programs that wish to benefit from public access to their facility's programs and services should visit FIPS no later than Wednesday, November 21. If your facility information on FIPS is not updated by November 21, your facility information on the American Cancer Society site will be removed UNTIL you update the material on FIPS. Please contact Lina Patel-Parekh, FIPS Administrator at fips@facs.org, for more information.
Highlights
Gearing Up for Approval Surveys
Programs due to be surveyed during 2002 have been mailed a notification letter and fax back form, and have been asked to complete and return the form by November 9, 2001. Adhering to this return date will enable staff to update contact information for key members of the cancer program leadership and to facilitate the timely confirmation of arrangements for the cancer program survey and invoicing processes. Survey application packets and the diskette version of the application will be mailed to programs that are due to be surveyed from January through June 2002. We encourage cancer committees to allow themselves adequate lead time to assess program activity and compliance with mandatory standards in advance of the survey.
Beginning July 1, 2002, the survey application and all background materials will be available on the CoC Web site. Applications on diskette will be accepted through the end of 2002. However, programs are urged to begin using the online application upon its release. As of January 1, 2003, all programs will be required to complete and submit an online application.
A limited number of survey extensions will be granted during 2002. A request from the cancer committee chair should be submitted with the completed fax back form. It must include: (1) the reasons for the delay; (2) the length of delay requested; and (3) an action plan describing corrective measures that will be implemented to ensure compliance with standards at the end of the survey delay period. Requests to delay survey for a maximum of 12 months will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be received by January 31, 2002. Any requests for survey extension received after that date will be declined.
Highlights
Annual Call for Data Information Online
The NCDB has posted the submission specifications for its upcoming Annual Call for Data 1985/1990/1995/2000 on the CoC Web site at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/ncdb/index.html. Here you'll find a data quality statement, instructions for case submission, vendor specifications, and more. CoC-approved cancer programs will be asked to submit data via a secured Internet application. Data can be submitted beginning November 30, 2001, and must be completed by December 31, 2001. Non-approved hospitals should watch for further instructions on their data submission. Complete details will be made available in early November. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about PCE Studies have been expanded, and can be found at this URL. Questions regarding this information should be directed to Mary Jo Strebel, CTR at mstrebel@facs.org.
Highlights
Register Now for Commission on Cancer March Workshop
March is just around the corner, so now is the time to register for the CoC March Workshop before the course is filled. The two-day Workshop, March 8-9, will feature several presentations including "Survey Savvy," NCDB Benchmark Reports, Changes in TNM Staging, and ROADS 2003 which will also provide a discussion of Collaborative Stage. Online registration is available through our Web site. For details and information, visit http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/coc/march02.html.
Highlights
CoC Annual Meeting Highlights
The Commission on Cancer's Annual Meeting was held on October 7, 2001 in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in New Orleans, LA. The meeting agenda and eight PowerPoint presentations, consisting of the topics presented at the meeting, is available in the News and Events section of our Web site at http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/cannews.html.
The Cancer Liaison Program Breakfast Meeting was held on October 8, 2001. The meeting agenda and topics presented are also posted in the News and Events section of our site. The information includes three PowerPoint presentations along with a summary of cancer program issues and recommendations raised by cancer liaison physicians and discussed during the meeting.
We encourage cancer program staff to review the agendas and select topics of interest for review. The presentations can be downloaded and printed for sharing with cancer committees or others as appropriate. These presentations are not available for modification. If you have questions about this material, please contact Connie Blankenship at cblankenship@facs.org.
Highlights
Collaborative Stage Data Items Approved by UDS
The Collaborative Stage Task Force, which includes representatives from the AJCC, CoC, NAACCR, NCI-SEER, and CDC NPCR, is pleased to announce that the Collaborative Stage data items it developed for use beginning January 1, 2003, were approved by the Uniform Data Standards Committee of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries for inclusion in the NAACCR record layout 10. The CoC Standards Committee previously approved these required data items for inclusion in ROADS 2003, also to be implemented January 1, 2003.
Highlights
Who to Contact about the CoC in Your State
Did you know that the Cancer Liaison Program state chair in your state is your point of contact for information about the CoC? As a resource, the state chair is available to:
- Present information on "What's New at the CoC
- Share information on how to become and be a successful cancer liaison physician
- Assist with the cancer liaison physician appointment process
- Organize a meeting of state and local cancer control agencies to coordinate activities
- Assist approved programs in meeting certain standards, highlighting the benefits of approval, and providing helpful hints on how to start a cancer program
- Assist with the interpretation and use of NCDB data for quality improvement
These are just some of the ways in which your CoC state chair can be of assistance. To locate the state chair in your area, click here http://www.facs.org/dept/cancer/coc/statecontact.html.
Highlights
To Subscribe to CoC Flash
CoC Flash is e-mailed automatically each month to individuals for whom the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has an e-mail address. If you wish to continue to receive the newsletter on a monthly basis, you need do nothing. You can discontinue your subscription by writing to coc@facs.org and requesting that your name be deleted from the database. Individuals not currently receiving the newsletter may subscribe to the publication by sending an e-mail message to coc@facs.org and asking to be added to our electronic distribution database.
To Submit Information
CoC Flash will accept submissions received by the monthly deadlines stated below. However, the CoC reserves the right to decide whether or not the materials are appropriate for inclusion. Information for CoC Flash should be timely, news worthy, brief, and of use and interest to the constituents of the Commission, which include cancer registrars, liaison physicians, cancer committee chairs, and other cancer-oriented health care professionals. To submit material, send it to coc@facs.org.
The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to decreasing the morbidity and mortality caused by cancer through prevention, monitoring and reporting of care, standard-setting, and education. CoC Flash is a monthly news service for constituents of the CoC provided by the Commission and the Cancer Department of the American College of Surgeons.
CoC Flash
Commission on Cancer
