Justification for Change

National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR)

Program Evaluation Instrument (PEI)

OMB No. 0920-0706

Justification for the Change Request to Conduct the

Workload Management Survey

CDC currently supports the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), a group of central cancer registries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 territories. The central cancer registries are data systems that collect, manage, and analyze data about cancer cases and cancer deaths. Performance indicators for NPCR-funded registries are collected through the web-based Program Evaluation Instrument (PEI) (OMB No. 0920-0706, exp. 12/31/2011). This information is used to evaluate the registries’ use of funds, their progress toward meeting objectives, and their infrastructure and operational attributes.

Central cancer registries report that they are chronically understaffed, and many registries are concerned about the impact of staff shortages on data quality standards. Staffing patterns are known to vary widely from registry to registry, and registries differ greatly in the volume of number of incidence cases that they process as well as their use of information technology. Cancer registries have asked for clear staffing guidelines based on registry characteristics such as size (i.e., number of new cases annually), degree of automation, and registry-specific reporting procedures.

CDC proposes to conduct a one-time Workload Management Survey in 2009 to supplement information collected through the PEI and to assist in the development of workload and staffing standards for NPCR-funded central cancer registries. Information collected through the WLM survey will enable CDC to assess the workforce necessary for meeting data reporting requirements and answering data requests that are based upon high quality, timely data, and to estimate the impact of planned changes to surveillance data reporting. Specific guidance will be developed so that cancer registry managers can more effectively measure workload, evaluate the need for staff and staff credentials, and advocate for adequate staffing. NPCR-funded registries have expressed strong support for the Workload Management Survey.