Public Health Registries: Cancer Data

This is the onboarding page for cancer data. Onboarding refers to the testing and validation process that providers and public health programs engage in prior to ongoing submission of data from certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT). This page contains information on the Division of Public Health's (DPH) Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (WCRS), including:

• Technical capacity to receive data
• Resource/administrative capacity and queue prioritization
• Information required to register with the program
• Detailed onboarding checklist

Technical Capacity and Specifications

WCRS has the technical capacity to receive electronic cancer data submissions from eligible professionals (EPs). Reporting providers who submit data for the state cancer reporting mandate (and are not reporting as an EP) should not register through this platform and should visit the WCRS reporting page for cancer reporting information and resources.

The transport method DPH supports for cancer data submission is the Public Health Information Network Messaging System (PHIN MS). Any EP wanting to satisfy the public health reporting measure for cancer data submission has to use PHINMS, meet the HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) 2.0 standard, and conform to the CDA implementation specifications found in the Implementation Guide for Ambulatory Healthcare Provider Reporting to Central Cancer Registries (PDF) . Also, the technology used by the EP to generate the cancer CDA message has to be a federally certified 2014 Edition EHR technology for this measure.

Resource Capacity and Prioritization

DPH has limited resource capacity to test with and onboard EPs to the WCRS. For EPs that successfully register, DPH is prioritizing cancer data submission testing and onboarding in the order listed below:

1. Non-hospital providers currently not meeting the state mandate to report cancer cases to WCRS and also not reporting cancers estimated to be underreported statewide (for example, melanomas from dermatology clinics, prostate cancers from urology clinics).
2. Providers currently reporting cancer cases on paper.
3. Providers currently reporting cancer cases through electronic submission methods.

Prioritization is subject to change depending on WCRS and DPH staff capacity and funding availability.

Non-hospital providers are expected to maintain current state-mandated cancer reporting requirements (S. 255.04 Cancer Reporting). Submission of cancer data for the Promoting Interoperability Program is not a replacement for reporting cancer cases to WCRS.

Providers in the Promoting Interoperability Program can use their “active engagement” with WCRS to meet the Specialized Registry measure even if they do not begin testing during their EHR reporting period as long as they register with DPH no later than 60 days after the start of their EHR reporting period, are responsive to DPH communications, and have a federally certified 2014 Edition EHR technology certified for cancer data submission.

Information Required to Register

To register, you will need the following information:

• Organization name
• Primary technical contact information (phone number and email address)
• Primary Meaningful Use contact information, if applicable (phone number and email address), if applicable
• Primary address
• Meaningful Use stage and year, if applicable
• EHR vendor name
• EHR product name and version of product

For providers intending to meet Meaningful Use, the cancer program will not begin the onboarding process until you register.

If you would like to register to submit HL7 CDA 2.0 cancer messages to WCRS using your CEHRT, please visit the PHREDS Enrollment and Registration of Intent page.

Questions?

If you have questions concerning the registration process, email the Wisconsin eHealth Program.

If you have questions concerning the technical onboarding process for cancer data, email the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System.