Product Description

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CANCER DATA SYSTEMS
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION:

The Rocky Mountain Cancer Data System (RMCDS) is a Windows based software program designed to facilitate all data entry and statistical analysis functions of a hospital cancer registry in an efficient and timely manner. The following listing is intended to summarize as well as describe the capabilities of the system as they relate to normal registry operations.
General

PASSWORD SECURITY SYSTEM - Access to the software and confidential patient records is protected by a password system. This system is flexible enough so that a student or physician in a hospital can be assigned limited program access (i.e., to pursue a special study) yet be denied entry into individual patient files.

PATIENT INDEX / CASE SEARCH - The entire master file is indexed six different ways: soundex, birthday, chart number, SSN, accession number and deleted name. Because of this flexibility, case lookup on the RMCDS system is not only faster, but more accurate than any manual system. All possible matches are displayed according to the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) requirements, however, a look at the entire case file is also possible in order to verify data elements of follow-up status.

ABSTRACT DATA SET - The RMCDS abstracting program accommodates not only the core data set of the ACoS, but can also accommodate the recommended and extended as well. In addition, plenty of "user-defined" data fields are available, both in the regular data screens as well as in an extension record. This extension record can be customized to your hospital's needs and include up to 60 additional data elements (such as clinical indicators, DRG information, chemotherapeutic agents, or other optional cancer information.

AUTOCODING IN THE ABSTRACT PROGRAM - A prompt line for each data field gives the abstractor instructions as to format and valid codes for that field. When possible codes exceed a prompt line's capacity (such as geocodes, race/ethnicity codes, and all therapeutic codes) a full list is obtainable by typing a question "?" mark. The entire International Classification of Diseases of Oncology (ICDO) is also built in to the system allowing for fast coding of topographical and morphological information.

EXTENSIVE ERROR CHECKING PROGRAMS - The Rocky Mountain system employs an extensive list of field and interfield edits which check for errors of omission, logic, chronology, and site/histology incompatibilities. This system is so extensive and thorough that several national organizations have utilized the RMCDS programs in order to evaluate the accuracy of large collections of hospital registry data. RMCDS also has an interface to the NAACCR EDITS program.

ABSTRACT PRINTING AND STORAGE - The full patient abstract (codes, English meanings and all comment fields included) can be stored on hard disk, or if storage becomes a problem, on diskettes. Each individual abstract can be printed on command, even if stored on a diskette.


DATABASE QUERY AND REPORT GENERATION

SUBSET CREATION - Up to thirty items can be chosen in any database search. The entire masterfile is indexed by anatomical site allowing for rapid pulloffs when a particular cancer site is part of the criteria.

FREQUENCIES - These can be done for any data field on the regular record or customized 'extension record' described previously. The RMCDS system's frequency reports not only list the numerical tabulation of the data element in question, but calculates percentage, cumulative percentage, median, mode and standard deviation.

CROSS-TABULATIONS - As with the frequency reports, any two data elements can be related to each other in a two-way crosstab table. In addition, a three-way cross tabulation is also available (a two-way report with a third controlling variable).

STANDARDIZED SUMMARY REPORTS - Two page summary reports are quickly producible and tabulate common data elements such as: frequency by year, class of case, sequence number, treatment modalities, follow-up status, residency, age and histological distribution.

ACTUARIAL SURVIVAL REPORTS - Survival reports by the traditional Berkson and Gage method as well as the non-parametric Kaplan Meier Method are available. Standard errors are calculated along with the observed and relative survival figures to allow for tests of significance.

PATIENT LISTING - A registrar has the choice of several standardized listing formats displaying different variables on a selected subset. Customized one line listings are available which adds to the flexiblitiy in displaying and/or printing cancer patient information. One page 'English Language Abstracts' are also available for each case in a selected subset.

SUBSET SORTING - Any created subset can be sorted by up to three variables. This sorting function can be used in conjunction with listings and survival reports to separate the data by different variables (i.e. survival by grade or decade of age).


STANDARDIZED REPORTS

PHYSICIAN PATIENT REPORT - This report provides a useful listing of an individual doctor's patients; living or deceased, or both.

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS FOLLOW-UP REPORT - This report is designed to provide all the statistical information necessary for the ACoS survey process. It can be run at anytime however, in order to ascertain current follow-up rates.

ACCESSION BOOK GENERATION - This program creates a blank accession book for use by the Registry. The range of numbers is chosen as part of the program query.

LETTERS AND FOLLOW-UP LISTS - The programs are available on the hospital system to handle all these functions locally. They are also valuable for creating subsequent, second letters for lost patients. A customized letter program is also available for use in those circumstances where patient contact is approved.


ADVANCED FEATURES

MULTIPLE DATABASE HANDLING - Specialized, separate databases are possible on the same personal computer if utilizing the RMCDS system. This is a valuable option if a hospital is interested in recorded information on non-reportable lesions such as benign colon polyp or basal cell cancers.

INTERFACE WITH GRAPHICS PROGRAMS - The output of many of the reports, such as frequencies, can be easily graphed utilizing Microsoft Excel or Corel Quattro Pro.

INTERFACE WITH STATS PACKAGES - A customized listing of different patient variables can be written to an ASCII file which can be read by other popular spreadsheet programs and statistical packages.