1. (a) Reportable cancer cases.

   1. (1) Any newly diagnosed in situ or invasive cancer or reportable benign and borderline conditions as specified by the ACCR.
   2. (2) If a patient subsequently develops a new primary cancer, it shall be reported separately.
   3. (3) In addition, healthcare facilities and providers shall furnish follow-up data on each cancer patient when requested.

2. (b) Format for reporting.

   1. (1) The format for reporting, the required coding guidelines, and the standards for completeness and quality are specified by the ACCR.
   2. (2) Text is required for specified variables and shall be adequate to permit quality assurance evaluation of coding decisions.

3. (c) Data items to be reported.

   1. (1) The standardized report of cancer shall include as a minimum those data items required by the ACCR.
   2. (2) The report of cancer shall include the listed demographic, diagnostic, and treatment data as defined by the ACCR.
4. (d) Deadline for reporting. Reporting shall occur no later than six (6) months after the date of diagnosis of cancer and/or initial treatment of cancer.
5. (e) Failure to report. If a hospital, laboratory, facility, or healthcare practitioner fails to provide the required information in the format or time specified by the ACCR or if the data are of unacceptable quality, personnel from the ACCR staff may enter the facility, or access the information electronically, to abstract the information.

6. (f) Quality assurance.

   1. (1)

      1. (A) Staff members from the ACCR shall perform periodic quality assurance activities on all reporting facilities.
      2. (B) These activities shall include:

7. (i) Casefinding to ensure that all reportable cancer cases have been accessioned; and

   1. (ii) Reabstracting the records of cancer patients to ensure accurate and complete coding of all data.
   2. (2) Reporting facilities shall assist the ACCR staff by providing the necessary casefinding documents, medical records, and office space for conducting quality assurance activities.
   3. (3) In order to improve the quality of the data, the ACCR or their appointees shall offer training to reporting facility personnel if deemed necessary.

Codification Notes: "ACCR" means Arkansas Central Cancer Registry.