MLTG Sets New Deadline for Central Registry User Data Dictionaries and Edits Metafiles

The Mid-Level Tactical Group (MLTG) manages the cancer surveillance change control process to ensure an efficient and timely change management process. One of the many steps in this process is to monitor the timing of products released, including the timely release of central registries’ user-defined data dictionaries and registry-specific edits metafiles. Central registries with locally defined data items and/or edits must provide cancer registry software vendors with a user-defined dictionary and/or registry-specific edits metafile. The timing of when central registries release this information impacts the release of hospital cancer registry software updates.

During a project to assess the MLTG change management process, central cancer registries were asked about the timeline to create their user-defined data dictionary and/or registry-specific edits metafile. Central registries, at that time, advised that the October 1 deadline for the user-defined data dictionary and registry-specific edits metafile conflicts with the timing of when registries work on their NAACCR Call for Data (CFD) file, stating that the CFD is a priority. Based on the central registry feedback the MLTG decided to change the deadline to September 15 for central registries to post their user-defined data dictionary and/or registry-specific edits metafile.

There are two websites that house the user-defined data dictionaries and the registry-specific edits metafiles. The NAACCR Edits website is home to the Edits Clearinghouse where central registries post their registry-specific edits metafile; as well as a manual, Developing Central Registry Edits Metafile, with training videos. The XML Data Exchange Standard website includes the data exchange standard and the XML dictionary (documentation, tools and libraries). There is a link on the data exchange standard webpage to get to the XML user dictionary information (FAQ, Help with User Dictionaries, Uploaded Dictionaries, etc.).

As the cancer surveillance community strives to receive data more timely, it is important for the products used to implement the changes for a given diagnosis year to meet their deadlines.