Recap of the Louisiana Cancer Registrars Association
2017 Conference
October 12 – 13, 2017
Submitted by: Courtney Jagneaux, RHIA, CTR – On October 12th & 13th I had the privilege of representing Registry Partners as a vendor sponsor and guest speaker at the Louisiana Cancer Registrars Association Annual Education Conference hosted at the Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The conference was jam packed with great presentations. For day one, I think the most impressive presentation was the “Coding Boot Camp” presented by Brigitte Shows, ASRT, CTR. Brigitte did a wonderful job of assembling common coding errors and working through each of them while siteing all of the appropriate coding resources.
Courtney Jagneaux, RHIA, CTR presented Efficient Abstracting
I presented the topic of “Efficient Abstracting”, giving tips on how to minimize abstracting time, hoping to help both new and seasoned CTRs evaluate the way they do things each day to save time or eliminate duplication of effort.
Dr. Julie Cupp, Breast Surgeon, went above and beyond to understand the role of registrars, and presented “Breast Surgery- Procedures and Proper Coding”, which I know everyone appreciated. Our very own Cora Spain, CTR, delivered a resourceful breakout session “Preparing for the CTR Exam” that helped those who will be preparing for the exam to get organized, and know what to expect during testing.
At the business luncheon, where I participated as Secretary for the association, I was elected and introduced as President of the Louisiana Cancer Registrars Association for the 2017-2019 term. Another Registry Partners team member, Cora Spain, Project CTR, was elected as Secretary. I am honored to be leading LCRA, and look forward to representing my profession as we work to reduce the burden of cancer.
Courtney Jagneaux, RHIA, CTR with Cora Spain, CTR
On day two, MeiChin Hsieh, PhD, MSPH, CTR and Nektarios Pappas, MD, CTR, reviewed the process and results of the Louisiana Tumor Registry re-abstraction audit. Their presentation really helped to highlight the reason we use standardized coding rules, as well as the importance of adequate text documentation.
The most exciting presentation was given by Brigitte Shows, ASRT, CTR and Brent Mumphries, who presented “Bridging the Gap: RQRS and Data Sharing”. Brigitte took the initiative to start the discussion and determine how the state central registry can help CoC hospitals maintain their standards while keeping up with state requirements. Brent has been hard at work developing a program that will be used to allow CoC hospitals to share RQRS data with other hospitals in the state. Although a work in progress, this will be a game changer for facilities who share RQRS patients.
The conference was concluded by a great round table discussion that I led “CoC Workshop – Common Survey Deficiencies” with the help of Amber Mandino, CTR. I think everyone in attendance had some great ideas to take home to their facilities.
Overall the conference was a great success. Thanks to all who visited with me at our vendor booth. I thoroughly enjoyed representing Registry Partners, and getting the chance to visit with all of the great registrars in Louisiana.
Congratulations to Heather McCaslin (pictured on the left) and Ramona Rachal (pictured on the right) who were the lucky winners of the Registry Partners Visa Gift Cards.
Courtney Jagneaux with Heather McCaslin (left) & Courtney Jagneaux with Ramona Rachal (right)
