Health Records Analyst - Department of Epidemiology

University of Iowa • Iowa City, IA

45d • Remote

About The Position

The Department of Epidemiology is recruiting for a Health Records Analyst position for the Iowa Cancer Registry (ICR). The candidate will be responsible for identification of reportable cases, abstraction of cancer data, and submission of high-quality data, editing and consolidating data submitted to the ICR central office following National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program and ICR guidelines. Assist with the performance of epidemiological disease related research, include the study of cancer by performing technical and allied duties related to the review, reconciling, abstracting and coding of medical information from abstracts, documents, reports and on-line data sources, participating in quality control efforts, and responding to requests for technical information.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in human health science, or an equivalent combination of education and experience in medical records, epidemiology, or disease data collection.
• 1-3 years of cancer registry experience, including experience in data collection, analysis, processing, coding, and reporting of cancer data and performance of critical review of the data.
• Certification as Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) or Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) or Oncology Data Specialist (ODS).
• Be eligible to and successfully obtain Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) certification within 2 years of hire.
• Microsoft office software products (i.e., Outlook, Word, Excel, TEAMS) proficiency.
• Provide a home-based office, including security and a reliable network provider to facilitate the transmission of electronic data to the central office or to receive electronic information/data.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer program requirements.
• A background in epidemiologic research and disease data collection methodology.
• Evidence of good verbal and written communication skills
• Experience working with cancer abstraction software such as SEERAbs, MetriQ, CNeXT, or other.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for identifying reportable cancer cases and abstracting cancer data following National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and Iowa Cancer Registry (ICR) guidelines.
• Determine disease/data reportability based on diagnoses and other technical criteria and review, reconcile, abstract and code complex cancer-related medical information from documents, medical abstracts, medical records, reports, on-line data, and follow-up data according to NCI/SEER Program and ICR guidelines, needing minimal guidance in addressing unusual situations.
• Determine disease/data reportability based on electronic pathology records and death certificates.
• Routinely analyze and manage electronic systems (SEERAbs, SEERDMS, CNeXT).
• Consistently and accurately code NCI/SEER data fields according to NCI/SEER manual guidelines.
• Verify principal diagnosis; verify and properly sequence other pertinent secondary diagnoses.
• Assign appropriate classification codes for diagnosis; clarify diagnoses and operations in question through use of various reference materials.
• Using advanced knowledge of cancer nomenclature and classification systems, including ICD-O-3, review and evaluate complex abstracted data to validate coding, staging, treatment, and site-specific factors.
• Participate in the development of procedures for completing case findings.
• Perform epidemiology related research on specified human health topics and case abstracts according to current data management methodology.
• Record data and maintain organized files.
• Participate in quality control efforts and reliability studies, both at the local and national level.
• Initiate appropriate action to resolve discrepancies in complex data contained in abstracts and related materials.
• Participate in continuing education opportunities, staff meetings, and actively seek methods for professional improvement.
• Complete and transmit abstracts to the ICR central office on time in accordance with established submission deadlines.
• Respond in a timely manner to all follow-back requests.
• Maintain software updates (SEERAbs, CNeXT, and any other necessary software) as needed.
• Establish and maintain remote access to the electronic medical record systems of assigned facilities.
• Assist with the design and development manuals and reports.
• Interpret medical diagnostic data and assist in the analysis of the data and writing of reports.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with hospitals, laboratories, physicians, and local programs throughout state and with ICR colleagues.
• Provide consultative support to participating health care providers and local cancer management program and health data systems.
• Communicate with providers and hospital abstractors to clarify conflicting or ambiguous information.
• Attend training workshops and provide guidance to other registrars in collecting data items.
• May help train new staff in data collection procedures and quality control.
• Assist in conducting quality reviews on ICR abstracting and editing staff and abstracting staff from non-ICR reporting facilities.

Benefits

• Fringe benefit package including paid vacation; sick leave; health, dental, life and disability insurance options; and generous employer contributions into retirement plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Educational Services
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees