St. Joseph’s Health – Northern California uses CAP eFRM to transmit structured pathology data directly to the California Cancer Registry

Boston, MA - St. Joseph's Health - Northern California has announced that it is successfully transmitting structured pathology cancer case data directly to the California Cancer Registry (CCR). To accomplish this, the St. Joseph's pathology department worked closely with CCR, mTuitive, Inc., and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). By using the CAP electronic Forms and Reporting Module, or CAP eFRM™, St. Joseph's is able to collect and automatically transmit vital cancer data that can be used by the registry to better understand cancer trends in the local populace.

"By using CAP eFRM, our cancer data is being sent more efficiently and immediately," says Megan Smith-Zagone, MD, Medical Director of the Laboratory at St. Joseph's Health. "We feel more confident that our cancer data is complete when sent."

Since 2003, mTuitive has been developing structured data solutions for use by doctors to record clinical results and comply with reporting standards. Thanks to a partnership with the CAP in the production of CAP eFRM, it is now easier than ever for facilities to comply with national protocols and submit their incredibly important cancer data to such locations as the CCR.

“In 2004, we learned that the state cancer registry in California was months to years behind in abstracting diagnostic data from cancer reports into their systems," says John Murphy, mTuitive CEO. "The CAP, CCR, mTuitive, and St. Joseph’s were able to create a solution that solved this backlog and greatly increases accuracy of the data through standardization of structure and data transmission.”

mTuitive is actively seeking more laboratories to take part in this project. The more sites that transmit this data to the registry, the more complete picture can be formed of the current cancer situation in the state. By transmitting live structured cancer data to the registry, physicians and researchers are able to determine efficacy of treatments faster, and understand patient care trends better.

For more information, please contact Colin Murphy at colin.murphy@mtuitive.com.

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mTuitive, Inc. develops data capture and synoptic reporting software to assist health care professionals in recording clinical findings and maintaining compliance with established protocols and guidelines. mTuitive's unique method of capturing structured information provides valuable data for pathology, surgery, oncology, and cancer staging applications. These products allow the clinical decision maker to conveniently receive alerts and reference materials directly at the point of care. mTuitive solutions improve care to the patient through quality assurance and error reduction while standardizing and automating manual reporting processes, reducing both time and labor costs. To learn more, visit www.mtuitive.com or follow mTuitive on Twitter at @mTuitive

As the leading organization with more than 18,000 board-certified pathologists, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. The CAP's Laboratory Improvement Programs, initiated 65 years ago, currently has customers in more than 100 countries, accrediting 7,600 laboratories and providing proficiency testing to 20,000 laboratories worldwide. Find more information about the CAP at CAP.ORG. Follow CAP on Twitter at @PATHOLOGISTS

CCR is a program of the California Department of Public Health's Chronic Disease Surveillance and Research Branch (CDSRB). The CCR is California's statewide population-based cancer surveillance system. They collect information about almost all cancers diagnosed in California. This information furthers their understanding of cancer and is used to develop strategies and policies for its prevention, treatment, and control. The availability of data on cancer in the state allows health researchers to analyze demographic and geographic factors that affect cancer risk, early detection, and effective treatment of cancer patients. The data also help determine where early detection, educational, and other cancer-related programs should be directed. The CCR is recognized as one of the leading cancer registries in the world, and has been the cornerstone of a substantial amount of research on cancer in the California population. To date the CCR has collected detailed information on over 3.4 million cases of cancer among Californians diagnosed from 1988 forward, and more than 162,000 new cases are added annually.