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Pamela S. Moats, RHIT, CTR, has been a tumor registrar at West
Virginia University Hospital for more than 10 years. Among her
many accomplishments, perhaps her biggest success has been
helping to lead her registry's transition from paper to complete
electronic automation. Moats has also been instrumental in
training two new registrars to support the facility - including
one person who was able to pass her CTR examination after only
one year of registry experience.
Going Paperless
Due largely to Moats' efforts, the West Virginia University
Hospital registry has been paperless since 1996. According to
her manager, Christine Metheny, RHIT, Moats worked diligently to
set up a paperless system, and continues to work hard to ensure
that the facility is in compliance with the ACOS standards for a
teaching facility. She was also instrumental in helping the
facility upgrade to Précis-Hospital, IMPAC's cancer registry
management system. "The cancer registrar profession has seen
many changes and challenges in the last few years, and Pam has
been a vital part of making sure that our registry responds,"
she said.
The Importance of Being a CTR
Moats currently serves as president-elect and chairman of the
education committee for the West Virginia Central Registry
Association (WVCRA), and will serve as a panel speaker at the
annual meeting of National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA)
in May 2003. She has been recognized by others for her work and
her commitment to registry, and won the 2000 NCRA sponsorship
award based on an essay she wrote on the importance of being a
CTR. In this essay, she stressed the importance of having
certified tumor registrars as an integral component of an
accredited program.
Registry Reporting
According to Moats, one of the important functions of a registry
is reporting. At West Virginia University Hospital, the
registrars are able to use the IMPAC system to generate valuable
information for the facility. "For example, if the
administration wants to know the referral patterns for the
hospital, we can tell how many patients there are per county
with a cancer diagnosis. We can then compare these to state
numbers and determine how many physicians are referring patients
to the hospital and how often," Moats explained. "These types of
reports are also useful in determining the location of satellite
facilities - where the patients are located and where there is
the greatest need," she added.
Moats also works as a program coordinator for City Hospital in
Martinsburg, West Virginia. In this role, she monitors their
compliance for the American College of Surgeons, manages the
cancer registry, and facilitates meetings of the cancer
committee. |
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Pamela S. Moats, 2003 Outstanding Registrar (left) with Karen
Phillips, CTR, IMPAC product marketing specialist (right).
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