Oncology Data Specialist

The Quality and Safety Department serves as a resource center to the organization to cultivate a culture of safety, eliminate preventable harm for all patients and staff, provide high value, equitable, evidence-based care, create an excellent care experience and to develop institutional capacity in improvement science and promote data-driven decision making. Join our talented team to contribute towards the mission of our organization.

The Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) plays a key role in supporting the organization’s accredited cancer programs through the collection, management, analysis, and reporting of cancer registry data. Reporting to the Director of Reporting and Analytics, the ODS supports cancer abstraction and submission activities to ensure compliance with the standards of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer, ACS Accredited Cancer Programs, and Department of Public Health reporting requirements.

The Oncology Data Specialist will work collaboratively with physician leaders, the ACS CoC Medical Director, Cancer Committee members, and multidisciplinary teams to support accreditation standards, data integrity, and cancer program development initiatives. This role serves as a valuable resource for cancer information and contributes to the organization’s mission of cancer prevention, treatment, surveillance, and quality improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Abstract, review, and follow up on cancer cases, including patient history, diagnosis, staging, treatment, and outcomes in accordance with ACoS, state, and national registry standards.
• Identify and track reportable cancer cases across the organization for inclusion in the cancer registry.
• Maintain and manage registry data using established coding systems including STORE, ICD-O, ICD-10, and AJCC staging guidelines.
• Submit required data to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) and state central cancer registries in accordance with reporting timelines and submission standards.
• Ensure compliance with Commission on Cancer (CoC), SEER, and state reporting requirements.
• Conduct quality assurance audits and validation reviews to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and integrity.
• Resolve data discrepancies and errors that result in rejected records from national or state reporting systems.
• Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual reports and present findings to the Cancer Committee and physician leaders to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support the Cancer Committee and Breast Cancer Committee by providing updates on registry activities and data quality initiatives.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of abstraction guidelines, business rules, data dictionaries, and process improvement initiatives.
• Stay current on evolving regulatory and publicly reported data requirements from federal, state, payer, and accreditation agencies.
• Prioritize and manage multiple concurrent deadlines while collaborating effectively with internal teams and stakeholders.

Qualifications:

• Active Oncology Data Specialist-Certified (ODS-C) credential required
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; RN strongly preferred
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in cancer case abstraction, staging, and registry data standards, preferably within an American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (ACoS-CoC) accredited facility
• Strong knowledge of medical terminology, cancer staging (AJCC), topography and morphology coding (ICD-O-3), and cancer registry standards including STORE, SEER, ICD-O-3, and AJCC Staging 8th Edition
• Familiarity with American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) accreditation standards and reporting requirements
• Proficiency with cancer registry software, electronic medical record (EMR) systems, and Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word
• Exceptional attention to detail with a strong commitment to data accuracy and integrity
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of responsibilities, and drive projects to completion
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and adapt communication style to diverse audiences
• Demonstrated commitment to maintaining confidentiality and safeguarding protected health information (PHI)