La. Admin. Code tit. 48 § V-8507

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section V-8507 - Case Reporting

A. Reportable Cases. Any in situ or invasive neoplasm, as designated by the most recent edition of the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, published by the World Health Organization, is considered a reportable diagnosis. In addition, b enign and borderline tumors as well as other neoplasms mandated by the LTR or its funding agencies shall be considered reportable. The LTR may require the reporting of precursor lesions for special surveillance programs. Details are available at the LTR website.

B. Transmission and Format for Reporting

1. All reports are to be transmitted electronically.

2. Facilities without electronic medical records must submit hard copies.

3. The LTR will stipulate the format for reporting, the required codes, and the format for transmitting data by all hospitals, pathology laboratories, radiation centers, physicians, nursing homes, hospices, and other licensed health care facilities and providers.

4. Diagnosis-related material, such as cancer biospecimens and pathology slides, as well as biological materials such as saliva samples, shall be sent to the Louisiana Tumor Registry if requested.

C. Data Quality. Data must meet the quality standards defined by the LTR. Data submissions of unacceptable quality will be returned for correction and must be resubmitted as specified by the LTR. Adequate text must accompany all coded data items to ensure data quality.

D. Variables to be Reported

1. At a minimum, the reports from non-hospital reporting sources shall include the identifiers, demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up information required by U.S. Public Law 102-151. Hospital-based reporters must use the standard variables, including identifiers, and codes established by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. A complete list of data items is available on the LTR website. Additional variables may be requested as needed to carry out the full mandate of registry operations, including Louisiana-specific cancer studies and meeting the requirements of the LTR funding agencies.

E. Deadlines for Reporting

1. Hospitals must submit completed cancer abstracts within six months of diagnosis or first contact with the patient for that cancer.

2. Pathology laboratories, radiation centers, surgery centers, physicians, and other licensed health care facilities and providers, shall report cancer cases, as defined in §8507 A, within two months of diagnosis or of the facilitys first contact with that patient for cancer.

3. Hospices and nursing homes shall identify cancer cases and provide copies of medical records (electronic or paper copies) as requested.

4. In addition, providers shall notify the LTR within one month if they diagnose or treat any cancer patient under age 20 years old.

F. Failure to Report. If a facility fails to meet the deadline for reporting in the format specified by the Louisiana Tumor Registry or if the data are of unacceptable quality, personnel from the LTR or its contractors may enter the facility to screen and abstract the information. In such situations, the facility shall reimburse the Louisiana Tumor Registry or its contractor $45 per case or the actual cost of screening, abstracting, coding, and editing, whichever is greater. Facilities refusing to cooperate within one month of the LTRs request for cancer reporting may be fined. Fines accrue daily after this one month of noncooperation at $100 per day, with a cap of $5000 total. Money from fines accrue to the LTR account, for LTR operations. The LTR may take legal action if necessary to enforce compliance with the law.

G. Quality Assurance

1. Staff members from the LTR central office, the regional registries, and national cancer surveillance programs designated by the LTR shall perform periodic quality assurance studies at all reporting facilities. These studies shall include:

a. rescreening medical and health records to ensure that all reportable cases have been identified;

b. reabstracting the records of patients to ensure that all data have been abstracted and coded correctly.

2. Reporting facilities shall assist LTR staff by compiling a list of cancer patients in the format required by the LTR and by obtaining the necessary medical and health records.

H. Follow-Up. Current follow-up, as defined in §8503, is required for all cancer cases. Health care facilities and providers will supply this information when requested.

I. External Linkages. LTR data may be linked with external databases in order to improve the accuracy and completeness of follow-up data or for research. All linkages shall be carried out in compliance with LTR confidentiality rules.

La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § V-8507

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Preventive and Public Health Services, LR 13:246 (April 1987), amended by the Louisiana State University Medical Center, Office of the Chancellor, LR 24:1298 (July 1998), amended by the LSU Health Sciences Center, Health Care Services Division, Tumor Registry, LR 30:2837 (December 2004), amended by LSU System, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana Tumor Registry, LR 35:2787 (December 2009), LR 39:3305 (December 2013), Amended by LR 4472 (1/1/2018).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 40:11105.3(7).