Blog « Registry Mindset

What is “Normal?”

By Michele, on April 20th, 2011

“The only ‘normal’ is the setting on your hair dryer.”

~ Erma Bombeck

Guide to Hematologic Malignancies

By Michele, on April 11th, 2011

RegistryMindset released the April 2011 continuing education course this last week titled “Distinguishing Characteristics of Primary Hematologic Malignancies.” This course, eligible for 1.0 CE credit hours from NCRA, guides the cancer registrar through identifying and understanding the differences between leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes. Using simple and easy-to-understand analogies cancer registrars who take this course will be able to “step up their game” in case-finding and abstracting of these primary site cases.

To become a member, click on “Register” in the menu bar above and get started today!

Driving Yourself to Happy

By Michele, on April 6th, 2011

Do you know how to drive yourself to happiness? Cancer Registrars can add this simple technique to their tool box and not only drive their personal levels of happiness upward, but you can help others be happy along the way.

Adults tend to pursue happiness by trying to get things that they think they lack. Cancer Registrars, for example, may be looking for higher wages, job flexibility, recognition, autonomy or even authority and control. Finding happiness to simply meet these material needs will likely not produce the results that you are seeking. When attention and energy is focused on our own neediness, lasting happiness will not come our way. It is a dangerous trap we set for ourselves when we are seeking to fulfill our personal needs, because when we don’t get what we want, we may end up feeling victimized, depressed and even angry about our work.

Cancer Registrars who are serious about their influence as a leader in their organization’s cancer program activities will look to generate positive outcomes through kindness and helpfulness. In contrast to authority and control, kindness, service to others and helpfulness can dramatically impact the positive forces in our lives. Psychology has repeatedly shown us that one of the most powerful psychological conditions is gratitude.

To release positive feelings and create collaboration and partnership with your team, simply start expressing your gratitude. It is a known scientific and clinical fact that you cannot be angry, or feel fear, at the same time you are grateful or happy. And, expressing gratitude by serving others will bring you the lasting happiness you need. Positive feelings are as “contagious” as negative ones, but the outcome is dramatically different.

Martha Beck, life coach for O, The Oprah Magazine, says “For your own sake, do something that’s not for your own sake.” Wise words that cancer registrars can use each day.

Make a conscious choice to find ways to express your gratitude to the physicians and staff in your cancer program. Look for ways to help your partners to do their job better. Don’t wait to be asked and don’t worry about getting permission, or being asked to do this, or even how it will impact the bottom line. Choose to lead and serve others by using gratitude and positive influence, combined with your cancer registrar expertise, to drive yourself to happiness. Not only will you exceed your own expectations, but you will ultimately receive the recognition and gratitude you were looking for all along.

TELL US HOW YOU SHOW GRATITUDE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION? WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?

Sunday’s Quote of the Day

By Michele, on April 3rd, 2011

“The Soul is the voice of the body’s interests.”

~ George Santayana

Medical Informatics and Cancer Registrars

By Michele, on March 31st, 2011

What role do cancer registrars play in medical informatics? The cancer registrar plays a critical role in collecting, classifying and coding medical information needed to study and develop treatments that will improve patient care outcomes in our short- and long-term future. Data is quickly aggregated as the registrar enters the information into a highly specialized, automated information management system which is, arguably, the most sophisticated and well-defined database within a hospital or geographic area that can be used for cancer medical informatics.

Recently, the National Cancer Registrar’s Association (NCRA) publication, “Medical Informatic Basics for the Cancer Registry,” defines this as: “Medical informatics is the intersection of science, computer science and health care. It deals with the resources, devices and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval and use of information in health and biomedicine. Health informatic tools include not only computers but also clinical guidelines, formal medical terminologies and information and communication systems.”

With the economic downturn and ongoing budget crunches, cancer registrars might be concerned about their future. However, nothing could be further from the truth! Their future is secure and their involvement in medical informatics, quality control, performance improvement and the study of outcomes is more critical now than ever before. Certified cancer registrars (or CTRs) are, and always will be, in high demand and needed for their skills in collecting, classifying and coding information for end results analysis. The required skill sets, resource and technology requirements for development of a nationwide program to effectively use medical informatics was outlined by President George W. Bush’s Executive Order in the Incentives for the Use of Health Information Technology and Establishing the Position of the National Health Information Technology Coordinator on April 27, 2004. This and other plans for combating cancer were discussed in “The Obama-Biden Plan to Combat Cancer” also published by The White House in 2010.

Ultimately, the efforts by cancer registrars at local, regional, state and national levels, combined with government and private industry agencies will enable a system of sophisticated analysis and application of medical informatics via the cancer registrar and their data management systems. It is clear that the cancer registrar will play a critical role by partnering with the major public and private health entitites in the United States to develop more effective treatments, effectively analyze patient care outcomes and find a cure for cancer as quickly as possible.

Cancer Registrar training is the cornerstone to Michele Webb’s website, http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele is a 25+ year veteran certified Cancer Registrar who is committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author on this website.

Wherever You Are

By Michele, on March 24th, 2011

“Wherever you are in life right now is

your fault — good or bad.

YOU and only you are 100% responsible

for every current result in your life.”

~ SUCCESS Magazine

Cancer Registrars Keep Pace

By Michele, on March 18th, 2011

Click here to watch a short video on this same topic

There are few things that we can be certain of in life today: death, taxes, and change. And, the rate of change is speeding up – and rapidly.

In a recent article, Darren Hardy, publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, noted that by 1900 it took 150 years to double all human knowledge. Today, it doubles every one to two years and, by the year 2020 knowledge will double every 72 days! Just imagine our lives where information and knowledge doubles every 2.5 months. While Hardy is referencing a global knowledge base, healthcare is also impacted by the rapid explosion of personalized medicine, genetics and vaccines that is also growing at a comparable and astounding rate.

Cancer Registrars are profoundly impacted by knowledge doubling and keeping pace with change has already impacted cancer registration in 2010. This speed of change demands that the cancer registrar develops the mindset and skills to rapidly adapt to change by participating in constant continuing education and professional upgrading. In fact, keeping one’s cancer registry certification (or CTR) means school is never really over.

Today, Cancer Registrars must develop expertise in human capital, not just reimbursement or payer habits; master emotional intelligence, not just business competence; know how to collaborate, not just control; lead their healthcare partners through networks, not hierarchies; and align people through meaning and purpose, not reports and spreadsheets. The most successful cancer registrars will rely more on emotional and relational aptitude rather than technical, financial or even clinical expertise. Emotional aptitude is expressed as self-awareness, self-confidence, self-management, ability to motivate oneself and others, and empathy. Relational aptitude and skills are demonstrated by an ability to communicate, manage time, networking, team-building AND meeting the need and wants of people you interact with, and depend on, to perform your work.

Ultimately, the cancer registrars who succeed in the next decade will be those who can adopt a continual professional upgrading program that includes clinical, relational and emotional skill sets AND develop leadership in others. Cancer Registry leadership is not about getting others to agree with you or to follow you, but rather building leadership in everyone around you. Cancer Registrars will do this by developing the mindset, emotional intelligence, and skill sets so everyone can lead themselves in this constantly changing environment, thus aligning and leading all healthcare partners and organizations to achieving their greater goals.

So, it all comes down to this. The cancer registry leaders of the next decade will be those individuals who can develop leaders and serve the needs of their healthcare partners and organizations the fastest. Where will you be in the next decade? Lagging behind or keeping pace?

LEAVE A REPLY BELOW: What will you be doing to keep pace as a cancer registry leader in the next decade?

Michele Webb creator of the only monthly, online cancer registrar continuing education program, http://www.RegistryMindset.com, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, committed to Cancer Registry leadership and professional education as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and author. You have permission to repost this article as long as do not alter it in any way and give a link back and credit to the author on this website.

Make a New Ending

By Michele, on March 16th, 2011

“Nobody can go back and start a

new beginning, but anyone can

start today and make a new ending.”

~ Maria Robinson

How Daydreams Improve Productivity

By Michele, on March 10th, 2011

“Serious people know we are supposed to imagine what could go wrong with our projects. That way we can plan for complications. We can fix weak spots before they result in horribly overvalued deals, delayed product launches, military campaigns gone awry, etc.

But sometimes we go too far in that direction. We spend so much time thinking through what can go wrong that we fail to spend an equal number of our 168 hours imagining what can go right. This pessimism makes us unable to see the chance opportunities that psychologists find are key to making our own luck.

The key is to strike the right balance. If you’re a glass half empty type, here are a few questions to start thinking on the bright side.

If the CEO of your company called you into her office tomorrow and said she was so impressed with your work that she wanted to put you in charge of your dream project, what you would ask for?
If you got an unexpected $10,000 tax refund check, what would you do with it?
An editor says she’d like to meet to discuss book ideas; a TV producer wants to discuss pilots. What would you pitch?
A non-profit you admire asks your advice on how best to use a $100,000 grant. What would you suggest?
You and a colleague always joke that you should start a business together. She calls on the weekend because she just got a rather large inheritance and wants to talk ideas. What kind of business would you like to start?
Your dream client sits next to you on a cross-country flight. What would you say?

Most likely these scenarios will never happen. But thinking about them is productive anyway. Figuring out what you’d tell the CEO helps you imagine the best direction for your career. Asking what you’d do with found money helps clarify your financial priorities. And sometimes fantasizing helps you get through tough patches, envisioning a future that inspires you to work toward a better life. If you ask me, that’s time well spent.

What’s been your most productive fantasy?”

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Author: Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think

Source: http://www.bnet.com/blog/time-management/how-daydreams-improve-productivity/328?tag=mantle_skin;content

Cancer Registrars and Evidence-Based Medicine

By Michele, on March 7th, 2011

The rapid pace of new scientific discoveries in medicine over the last 30 years is unlike anything else experienced in the United States and hints to the dramatic improvements in our nation’s health and well-being. Yet, across the system patients, healthcare providers, payers and the government is demanding improvements to a system that is perceived as costly, fragmented, and ineffective. Evidence-based medicine, and its emphasis on integrating the best available evidence with clinical expertise, provides us with a framework to develop systems and approaches to healthcare that improve the outcome and quality of life. When evidence-based knowledge is a natural part of our healthcare system it will ensure delivery of the care that is most appropriate and most likely to achieve the best possible outcomes for each individual patient.

Of specific relvance to the cancer registrar and the work they perform every day is the evolution of information technology tools used by healthcare providers and also as a tool for educating patients. The past two decades have seen an explosion of data and information relevant to medical care which is expected to grow by a factor of thousands in the coming years. But, unless this information is accessible to the right people at the right time, it will be useless.

In January, 2010 the cancer registrar began collecting and reporting data based on new standards and guidelines for data collection and reporting reflects the changes in science, medicine and clinical advances that will drive further studies in quality and used in the development of best practice standards and evidence-based medicine.

We prepared a short video for our continuing education members of Registry Mindset but want to share this with you as well.

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