Get to Know ONCO: Tonya Clark, RHIT, CTR, CPC-A

ONCO > Get to Know ONCO: Tonya Clark, RHIT, CTR, CPC-A

Get to Know ONCO: Tonya Clark, RHIT, CTR, CPC-A

Tell us about your journey as a CTR.

In 2008, I was one of millions of employees who suffered job displacement due to massive layoffs. Unemployment was high and job offers became few and far between. After taking time to process emotions and a lengthy hiatus, I refocused my mindset and decided to seek a degree in Health Information Management. Cancer Registry was a small part of the curriculum however this aspect of the coursework intrigued me most. Further research and inquisitiveness lead me to a practicum in Radiation Oncology. I had never heard of a “Tumor Registrar” but ultimately found my passion in this very humbling position. I became a Certified Tumor Registrar in 2012 and my Registered Health Information Technician certification followed shortly thereafter. Transitioning from abstractor to QC Specialist was natural given my dedication to quality data, overall CTR experience, and commitment to continual growth. I also wanted to help other CTRs and non-registrars be successful in the field. The host of mentors along my journey who had the heart of a teacher greatly contributed to career evolution.

What does a Quality Control Specialist do?

A Quality Control Specialist provides quality control activities for certified and non-certified registrars. We are responsible for ensuring the abstracting team is meeting quality standards and ensuring data submitted to the state and NCDB are compliant. Weekly productivity is generated through Ad Hoc Reporting. Quality Control Specialist perform visual review of 10% of all analytic cases communicating inconsistencies to registrars while seeking opportunities to guide and educate. Ultimately, we encourage case completeness and accuracy of data.

What makes you excited about coming to work at ONCO every day?

It’s a pleasant reward to know you are making a difference in people’s lives in any way. As if being a Cancer Registrar isn’t humbling enough…Coming to work at ONCO I feel my contribution to the abstraction team, our clients, and organizations we serve is meaningful. My commitment to quality work and strong relationships is a great motivator in my daily activities. I’m excited to continue gaining knowledge and experience in the field. ONCO has been a great part of my professional growth and development.

Quality is something that is discussed constantly in the Cancer Registry, but is time consuming and not always standardized. Can you talk some about how you balance efficiency with rigorous quality control? And what you have in place to ensure QC is consistent across the board?

If I could sum balancing efficiency and rigorous quality control into two words, they would be “Discipline” and “Consistency”. The standard setters (CoC, AJCC, SEER, NAACCR etc.) who define what data we collect, how to process this data and utilize the information provide specific reference materials which are at our disposal. Policy and Procedure Manuals provide a framework for casefinding, abstraction, follow-up, and quality control. At a minimum, I routinely utilize these invaluable sources to instruct me and ensure QC is consistent.

How does access to ONCOLog help you with Quality Control?

Having access to ONCOLog applications is imperative to performing my daily job duties. Ad-Hoc Reports within our Gather module are intuitive and customizable allowing data to be filtered for ease of review. Ad-Hoc Reports can be generated specific to a facility’s top sites and state requirements. During visual review, all Quality Control Findings are documented within a Quality Control Grid that summarizes Benchmarks, Accuracy Percentage, the fields for review, and any notes. As part of the Quality Control Process, abstractors receive a summary of Quality Control Findings. Abstractors are then able to correct inconsistencies as needed. The results are also documented within quality control fields within ONCOLog. Completion of these fields allow us to utilize our pre-built Quality Control Report that directly assists our clients with meeting and documenting compliance with the CoC Standard 6.1.

Let’s hear more about Tonya, the person! Outside of work, what are some of your hobbies?

I am an aspiring vegan who loves meat. A.K.A “Chegan”(cheating vegan). This has been a slow transition over the last few years but I really enjoy creating healthy delicious vegetarian recipes for myself, family, and friends. Like other aspiring vegans, I started out with small steps, made progress, slowed down and restarted several times. My goal is 100% transformation focusing on health, abundance and all things good! I have embraced the journey. Preparing satisfying nutritious vegetarian meals, snacks and desserts has become my newest hobby but hiking and bowling are among my favorite pastimes.