A method to integrate an institutional database with multiple practice EHRs.

Abstract

248 Background: Survivorship care plans (SCP) are endorsed or required for accreditation by many organizations including ASCO, NCCN and ACoS. SCP elements include a treatment summary and follow up plan. Information for these elements is usually found in a practice’s electronic health record (EHR), but is not always readily identifiable. Practitioners get information from multiple EHRs across practices and hospitals. Barriers include EHRs not readily accessible to all staff or don’t communicate with each other. No simple means exists for the required data points to auto-populate from practice-based databases. Methods: We approached this by combining Cancer Registry data with an online template to populate a SCP, utilizing the Electronic Registry System, Inc. (ERS), a Cancer Registry software company, and a survivorship template provided by a free online open source company Journey Forward (JF). The Registry is told when a patient is scheduled for a survivorship appointment. A file is created of the patient’s demographics, specific cancer characteristics, and treatment summary. This is sent to the practitioner through a shared drive or secure email. The tumor site-specific JF template is then selected by practice staff who import the Registry file created from ERS. Information required for the SCP is auto-populated in the template during this process. Results: The remainder of the template contains recommendations for follow up and is completed by a physician or designated practitioner working with their EHR. Supplemental tumor site-specific education materials are available in the JF Library. Patient-specific concerns such as cancer recurrence or treatment side-effects can be addressed as well. Any of these prepared documents may be incorporated into the SCP follow up recommendation section with a mouse-click. The printed SCP is given to the patient and forwarded to care providers. A notice of SCP given to the patient is then sent to the Registry which closes the loop. Conclusions: This process utilizes the Cancer Registry, allows specific input from patient care providers, and eliminates the necessity to access multiple EHRs to complete SCPs.