NAACCR Interoperability Activities Lori A. Havener, CTR Program Manager of Standards

Background Standards Volumes I and II Standards Volumes I and II Data exchange record layout Data exchange record layout National health information technology initiatives National health information technology initiatives

NAACCRs Number One Priority Achieve syntactic and semantic interoperability of cancer registration standards with national standards by 2010 or at the earliest possible time. Achieve syntactic and semantic interoperability of cancer registration standards with national standards by 2010 or at the earliest possible time.

Definitions Semantic Interoperability: the ability to exchange and use data; allows the exchange of both structure and meaning (of terms or vocabularies) among systems. Semantic Interoperability: the ability to exchange and use data; allows the exchange of both structure and meaning (of terms or vocabularies) among systems. Syntactic Interoperability: the ability to exchange data; refers to the ability for different systems to interpret interfaces, interchange formats, messaging standards, etc. Syntactic Interoperability: the ability to exchange data; refers to the ability for different systems to interpret interfaces, interchange formats, messaging standards, etc.

Interoperability Ad Hoc Committee Structure Interoperability Ad Hoc Committee (Chair, Ken Gerlach) Semantic Interoperability Work Group (Chair, Gary Levin) Syntactic Interoperability Work Group (Chair, Beth Anne Schmidt) Pathology Data Work Group (Chair, Eric Durbin) Clinical Data Work Group (Co-chairs, Ken Gerlach and Jim Martin)

Interoperability Ad Hoc Committee Conducted first meeting at the NAACCR annual conference. Conducted first meeting at the NAACCR annual conference. Developed goals and objectives for the ad hoc committee and the new work groups. Developed goals and objectives for the ad hoc committee and the new work groups. Reviewed goals and objectives for existing work groups. Reviewed goals and objectives for existing work groups.

Semantic Interoperability WG The Semantic Interoperability WG will review ontologies and vocabularies to ensure NAACCR data standards are either interoperable or mapable to national standards. The Semantic Interoperability WG will review ontologies and vocabularies to ensure NAACCR data standards are either interoperable or mapable to national standards.

Syntactic Interoperability WG The Syntactic Interoperability WG will assess data exchange mechanisms to ensure NAACCR is consistent with national standards. The Syntactic Interoperability WG will assess data exchange mechanisms to ensure NAACCR is consistent with national standards.

Clinical Data WG Charge Explore alternate mechanisms or messages to transmit and receive the cancer abstract. Explore alternate mechanisms or messages to transmit and receive the cancer abstract. Examine not only the steps to transmit and receive data within the cancer registry community, but also consider transmissions to organizations typically outside that community. Examine not only the steps to transmit and receive data within the cancer registry community, but also consider transmissions to organizations typically outside that community.

Clinical Data Work Group – HL7 CDA Pilot Project Pilot test transmission of cancer data using HL7 CDA from a hospital cancer registry to a central cancer registry. Pilot test transmission of cancer data using HL7 CDA from a hospital cancer registry to a central cancer registry. Participants included two central cancer registries, two hospital registry software vendors and two central registry vendors. Participants included two central cancer registries, two hospital registry software vendors and two central registry vendors.

Clinical Data Work Group Pilot Project Major Milestones Strawman – July 2007 Strawman – July 2007 Preliminary Implementation Guide – September 2007 Preliminary Implementation Guide – September 2007 Translation Tool – October 2007 Translation Tool – October 2007 Pilot Alpha Software – December 2007 Pilot Alpha Software – December 2007 Pilot Alpha Deployment – February 2008 Pilot Alpha Deployment – February 2008 Final Implementation Guide – April 2008 Final Implementation Guide – April 2008 Advantages/Disadvantages Report – May 2008 Advantages/Disadvantages Report – May 2008 Financial Costs and Non-financial Benefits Analysis Report – May 2008 Financial Costs and Non-financial Benefits Analysis Report – May 2008

Pathology Data Work Group Update Standards Volume V to HL7 version Update Standards Volume V to HL7 version Develop conformance testing tools using the HL7 Messaging Workbench. Develop conformance testing tools using the HL7 Messaging Workbench. Review CAP Cancer Checklists and the SNOMED CT Encoded CAP Cancer Checklists. Review CAP Cancer Checklists and the SNOMED CT Encoded CAP Cancer Checklists.

Health Information Technology Initiatives Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP)  Sponsored by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  Serves as a cooperative partnership between public and private sectors for the purpose of achieving a widely accepted and useful set of standards specifically to enable and support widespread interoperability among healthcare software applications, as they will interact in a local, regional and national health information network for the U.S. (

Health Information Technology Initiatives Public Health Data Standards Consortium (PHDSC) Public Health Data Standards Consortium (PHDSC)  Promotes data standards for population health practice and research.  Committed to bring a common voice from the public health community to the national efforts of standardization of health and healthcare information. (

Health Information Technology Initiatives Health Level Seven (HL7) Health Level Seven (HL7)  ANSI accredited Standards Developing Organization.  An international community of healthcare subject matter experts and information scientists collaborating to create standards for the exchange, management and integration of electronic healthcare information. Promotes use of standards within and among healthcare organizations to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare delivery for the benefit of all. (

Health Information Technology Initiatives SNOMED Surgical Pathology Work Group SNOMED Surgical Pathology Work Group  Works closely with the CAP Cancer Committee to work on formatting of the checklists for computer systems.  Comprised of pathologists, cancer registrars, pathology and cancer registry software suppliers and CDC representatives. (

The Challenge… These interoperability activities are new to the NAACCR members and staff. These interoperability activities are new to the NAACCR members and staff. There is not an existing trail to follow…we are trail blazing. There is not an existing trail to follow…we are trail blazing.