When i announced that the v16b metafile had been posted in a NAACCR listserv I also included instructions for hospital registrars that suspect they have found a problem with and edit. I’ve posted the excerpt from the email below.
Process for reporting suspected edit errors
This year we have created an unprecedented number of new and revised edits, especially TNM edits. We have tested the edits extensively, but we realize that there will be issues that will only arise when registrars are using the edits on a regular basis. If you are in a hospital/reporting facility and suspect you may have identified a problem with an edit, please report the problem using the following steps.
1. Check sources such as the CAnswer forum or SEER Sinq and try to determine if the problem is a coding issue or an edit issue.
2. If you think your coding is correct and there is a problem with the edit, please report this to your central registry. Do not submit edit issues to the CAnswer forum or SEER Sinq.
3. Your central registry will review the issue and forward it to me. I will work the Edits WG to find a solution. We will try to get an answer back to you ASAP.
4. If there is an edit problem, your central registry will give you options on how to proceed until we can send out an update to the edits metafile. If we find it is a coding issue, we will provide a coding solution.
I received emails from a couple of central registries asking for additional instructions for step 3 and step 4.
My reply was:
For step three just do your best to see if you can tell if it is a coding issue or an edits issue. If there is any doubt, send it to us. We’ll look into it here and get back to you ASAP.
If it is an edits issue, you will need to let them know if they should hold the case until an edits fix has been developed and distributed or if you want them to send you the case with incorrect information and instructions on how to correct it. Or you may have some other work-around.
There are a couple of reasons for asking registrars to follow this process.
1. We want to make sure that when an edit problem is identified, we are notified. The CAnswer forum folks are not necessarily experts on edits. They may not always realize that the questions they are getting are actually edit issues. Also, it’s not their job to notify us if they think it is an edits process.
2. When there is a problem with the edits, it is usually identified by many, many registrars. We want to avoid a situation where the CAnswer forum or SEER SINQ are getting inundated by the same question. If it really is an edit issue, those of us involved with developing the edits can fix the problem and mark it as a known edit issue. I’m hoping this edits forum will be a quick and easy way for central registries and software vendors to see if the questions they are getting are a known issue or if they need to send the issue to me.
I think by following this process we can eliminate at least some of the duplicate questions that are coming in.
As far as additional clarification for step 4, my response was below.
If it is an edits issue, you will need to let them know if they should hold the case until an edits fix has been developed or if you want them to send you the case with incorrect information so it can pass edits and instructions on how to correct it. Or you may have some other work-around.
I’m not sure how helpful that response is. If anyone would like to share what they are telling there registries to do with cases when and edit is not allowing them to enter the correct information, i would love to hear it!
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