Medical Oncology Logs & Autopsy Reports

Medical Oncology Logs

Patients receive radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or biological response modifier (immunotherapy) treatment as inpatients, or in an ambulatory setting, or in a freestanding facility, or in a physician's office. The registry staff must establish a policy and procedure for identifying patients who receive chemotherapy at any facility affiliated with the institution. The registrar should identify the inpatient unit that provides most oncology services and then request that a log be maintained to identify new patients. A method of obtaining the same information must be developed for ambulatory facilities or offices associated with the institution. A patient log similar to the one used in the radiation oncology department can be used for outpatient settings.

A review of medical oncology lists or logs should be completed at least once a month. As does the radiation oncology log, the medical oncology list or log serves as an excellent tool for collecting current follow-up information.

Autopsy Reports

Some facilities maintain autopsy or necropsy reports in the pathology department. These autopsy reports can be ascertained at the time of pathology review, although they are typically filed separately from the other pathology reports. For facilities that do not perform autopsies, these reports may be located in the health information management department. A system should be developed between the health information management department and the registrar to ensure that all autopsies are flagged for review by the registrar.

Updated: December 12, 2023