July 2021
In this newsletter, you will find:
  • Save the Dates! Two ERS webinars scheduled for August 2021
  • Clinical Corner by ERS's CMO, Frederick L. Greene, MD FACS
  • Are You "In the Know"? - CRStar Monthly Upgrades
  • Tip of the Month: Tumor Board Data Collection & Monitoring
  • July Employee Spotlight - Jonathan Rakestraw
  • Refer CRStar - Earn $200
Stay tuned for another webinar in our Executive Cancer Center Leader Webinar Series. The webinar, titled “Navigating the Future of Your Cancer Program: A Partnership Between Your Navigation Program and the Cancer Registry” will be co-presented by Melanie Rogan, CTR, Director of Registry Services, and Dr. Frederick L. Greene, Chief Medical Officer.

This webinar will reveal to cancer center leaders the importance of a strong patient navigation program and how the cancer registry data can help achieve your cancer program’s goals. The webinar will be presented at noon ET on Tuesday, August 3rd and Wednesday, August 4th.

If you think your cancer center leader could benefit from seeing how the data you work with each day can be leveraged to promote cancer center initiatives and community healthcare needs, please click below and we will send them an invitation.
Invitations will be emailed approximately two weeks prior to the presentations.
Also, be sure to save the date for another installment in our Cancer Registry Educational Webinar Series presented by Christi Cox, CTR, Manager of Education. The one-hour webinar, "Get In the Registry Zone" will be presented at noon ET on Tuesday, August 24th and Thursday, August 26th.

This educational webinar will include topics ranging from adequate staffing, delegation of tasks and productivity expectations to managing suspense, incomplete and follow up lists. Additionally, strategies for managing RCRS cases, effective QA reviews and achieving a concurrent database will also be explored.

Invitations for this educational webinar will be emailed approximately two weeks prior to the webinar. One CE credit is pending from NCRA.
Clinical Corner
by ERS's CMO, Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS
One of the concepts that I am really excited about is the opportunity for us to create the ERS Advisory Board. As you hopefully heard during our exhibit time at the virtual NCRA meeting, this Advisory Board will be an opportunity for a group of our ERS user family to periodically meet and discuss not only issues important to the registries that use ERS products, but also to develop strategies that will help create an efficient and exciting work environment for all cancer registrars.

I am delighted that we have already received quite a number of applications for membership on the Advisory Board even before the August 1 deadline. I have personally heard from many of you regarding this initiative and I am looking forward to coordinating the activities of the Advisory Board beginning in the fall.

As the mission of the Advisory Board states:
“The Board will serve as a vital group of ERS users to give advice and direction to the ERS leadership regarding product development, interoperability with potential registry-associated technology, educational strategies and research opportunities that would benefit cancer registrars and institutions utilizing ERS registry products as well as the global cancer registry world.”

The overriding concept and plan for the most effective and efficient constitution of this ERS Advisory Board will be based on the premise that all members of the Board are considered peers and that open and frank discussion will always be encouraged and expected. One of my aspirational goals for the Board, as well as for all of us, is to develop strategies that will educate, inform and increase engagement of clinicians regarding the many facets of registry activities. We all need to think about this ambitious goal. I will have much more to say on this topic in future renderings of the “Clinical Corner.” Until then, enjoy your summer and put on plenty of sunscreen!
Are You "In the Know"?
CRStar Monthly Upgrades
Are you aware that CRStar is updated every single month? Our consistent upgrade cadence allows for timeliness in meeting state and national requirements as standards change, as well as enhancing our software for a better user experience.

When the monthly upgrade has been deployed, a message is emailed to all CRStar users as well as posted on the CRStar login screen. These messages point users to our client Resource Page where you can see a detailed list of all components included in the upgrade. Other supporting documentation and/or Short Take videos are also available.

The ERS Support Team encourages all CRStar users to keep apprised of the upgrade information made available! Stay “In the Know”!
Tip of the Month
Tumor Board Data Collection & Monitoring
What are your registry’s Tumor Board processes? Are you keeping manual spreadsheets? Have you considered collecting this information on CRStar’s Cancer Program Maintenance screen?

We provide detailed tumor board information conveniently located in one area. By utilizing this valuable tool, there is no need to retain old user defined fields or bulky manual processes. These fields are multi-valued, so the registry can record multiple tumor board presentations on the same patient.

The detailed information available for tracking and monitoring is:

  • Date Of Tumor Board
  • Discipline
  • Type of Presentation
  • Attendees
  • Staging Completeness
  • Tumor Board Discussion on:
  • Clinical and Pathologic Staging
  • Prognostic Indicators
  • National Treatment Guidelines
  • Clinical Trials
  • Genetic Counseling Referrals
  • Support Services Referrals
  • Treatment
  • Type of Treatment Initiated before Presentation
  • Multidisciplinary Team Treatment Recommendations
  • Comments
All data collected for tumor boards from the Cancer Program Maintenance screen can be collated together or with other pertinent patient data to present at Tumor Boards and/or for Cancer Committee. The many canned reports and graphs within the CRStar reporting module can be utilized or create custom ad hoc lists, graphs and cross tabulation reports.
July Employee Spotlight - Jonathan Rakestraw
This month, our employee spotlight shines on Jonathan Rakestraw, BS, CTR. Jonathan joined ERS as a Client Advocate Specialist in January 2020. Prior to ERS, he was employed with the Cone Health Oncology Informatics Department for the Cone Health system in Greensboro, NC.

Jonathan began his cancer registry career as a Follow-Up and Casefinding Clerk before earning his CTR credentials in 2016. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Jonathan enjoys training new users and working with CRStar’s reporting functions. He especially enjoys working with clients in resolving edits within abstracts, as well as testing new upgrades and metafiles in the software.

Jonathan was born and raised in North Carolina and still lives there with his wife, Bettie Jo, and their daughter, Sara Pearl. His hobbies include weightlifting and target shooting. In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys watching major league baseball and watching his four nephews play in their soccer and baseball tournaments.
Refer CRStar - Earn $200
Do you love CRStar?

So do we and we are offering our loyal customers the chance to earn a $200 gift card when a Cancer Program that you refer becomes an ERS customer!

Please click "Refer CRStar" below if you know of any Cancer Programs that could benefit from CRStar and the advantages that CRStar users enjoy and rely on.

Let's grow our CRStar community together!

Terms and conditions can be found on the CRStar Referral Form.
View a CRStar video
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