Last updated: January 2023

Author: Vermont Cancer Registry Program, Vermont Department of Health

In 2018, CDC opted to require a new NAACCR data exchange standard without providing documentation, training, or software. VCR did not received the resources to collect 2018 data until September 2019, which resulted in a low percentage of 2018 cases reported in the Call for Data.

Vermont depends upon other states for approximately 37% of its annual caseload. Other states report data for Vermont residents only once a year, generally over one year after the diagnosis date. Therefore, it is extremely challenging to meet the Advanced National Data Quality Standard of having a diagnosis year at least 90% complete within 12 months of the close of the diagnosis year. Challenges in data reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic have also challenged our performance on this measure.

Cancer Registry data are reported by a variety of sources, including Vermont healthcare facilities and providers, out-of-state cancer registries, and laboratories. By law (18 V.S.A. §§ 151-157), health care facilities and providers have six months from the date of first contact with the patient to report cancer data to the Health Department. For Vermont Cancer Registry data to be nearly complete within one year after the close of a diagnosis year, all information must be collected from various sources, reviewed, edited, and de-duplicated.

The most significant driver of this indicator is other states’ cancer registries’ participation in data exchange, which is difficult to influence. We try to affect positive change by being a party to the National Interstate Data Exchange Agreement and exchanging data with all bordering central cancer registries and other central registries most likely to yield missed cases. Vermont is compliant with CDC’s expectation to report data within 12 months of the close of the diagnosis year to other states whose residents were seen in Vermont for cancer care.

Federal funding agreements require the Cancer Registry to submit data annually to the National Program of Cancer Registries Cancer Surveillance System. Data must be 90% complete within 12 months of the end of the diagnosis year. A preliminary report of incidence rates and counts by site group is expected to be produced with data that are 90% complete within 12 months of the end of each new diagnosis year. This information is used for internal quality assurances purposes and is not disclosed to the public.

Vermont Healthcare Facilities

Vermont Healthcare Providers

Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems

Other States’ Central Cancer Registries

North American Association of Central Cancer Registries

The Cancer Registry is required to use standardized, CDC-recommended data transmission formats for the electronic receipt of cancer data from hospitals, pathology laboratories, and healthcare providers’ electronic medical records. The Cancer Registry is required to participate in the National Interstate Data Exchange Agreement to the extent possible, and exchange data with all bordering central cancer registries and other central registries most likely to yield missed cases.

Increase the percentage of hospitals reporting to the Cancer Registry that do so electronically.

Increase the percentage of non-hospital facilities reporting to the Cancer Registry that do so electronically.

Use a secure Internet-based, FTP or https mechanism to receive electronic data from reporting sources, including other states’ cancer registries.

As reported in our annual Data Evaluation Report submission to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Program of Cancer Registries Cancer Surveillance System. Percent Completeness Adjusted for Duplicates: The percentage of observed to expected, unduplicated cases where the expected cases are estimated by using methods developed by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (http://www.naaccr.org/).