Since 1982, cancer has been a reportable disease in Iowa and is codified in the Iowa Administrative Code (IAC, Public Health 641, Chapter 1, Section 139A). The State Health Registry of Iowa [Iowa Cancer Registry] is the public health authority designated in the Iowa Administrative Code [IAC 641 – 1.14(3a) (139A)] to collect these data from facilities subject to the reporting requirement.
Is my facility subject to cancer reporting requirements?
If your facility is in the list below [IAC 641 – 1.14 (3a) (139A)] and you are a health care provider involved in the diagnosis, care, or treatment of cancer patients [IAC 641 – 1.14(1) (139A)], you are subject to the cancer reporting requirements in Iowa.
- Hospital
- Radiation treatment center
- Outpatient surgical facility
- Oncology clinic
- Pathology laboratory
- Physician office
Cancer Data from Commission on Cancer Accredited Hospitals in Iowa
Which of my cancer patients am I required to report on?
If your facility is located in the state of Iowa, you are required to report on all of your patients who are diagnosed or treated for a reportable cancer, regardless of the patient’s state of residency.
“Each occurrence of a reportable cancer that is diagnosed or treated in an Iowa resident or occurs in a nonresident who is diagnosed or treated in an Iowa facility shall be reported to the State Health Registry of Iowa [Iowa Cancer Registry], administered by the Department of Epidemiology of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.” [IAC 641 – 1.14(139A)]
What is a reportable cancer?
In Iowa, a reportable cancer is one that is included in the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (NCI/SEER). Essentially, this means that all malignant and in situ cancers which can be described as invasive and non-invasive tumors/carcinomas are reportable (excluding squamous and basal cell carcinomas of the skin). [IAC 641 – 1.1(139A)]
What do I have to report about my cancer patients to meet the requirement?
We will ask for, but are not limited to, demographic, diagnostic, treatment, follow-up information, and other medical information about your cancer patients, in accordance with what we are required to provide to NCI/SEER. [IAC 641 – 1.14(2) (139A)] The casefinding and reportability requirements of NCI/SEER can be found here: https://seer.cancer.gov/tools/casefinding/ and here : https://seer.cancer.gov/tools/codingmanuals/index.html
The following sections provide additional information regarding processes for providers to participate in comprehensively capturing cancer cases in Iowa.