Each year, approximately 140,000 Californians are diagnosed with cancer — about 16 people an hour. Yet little information exists about variations in the quality of cancer care to help guide families’ decisions about where to get that care. The lack of information also hinders providers, payers, policymakers, and others from making informed decisions and improving the quality of care.

In 2013, CHCF convened an expert workgroup to explore how the California Cancer Registry, the statewide population-based cancer surveillance system, could be used to measure, publicly report, and thereby improve the quality of care.

CHCF hosted a Sacramento briefing to discuss the panel’s work, including three recommendations and model legislation put forth to enable the registry to expand its focus beyond public health surveillance to include cancer care quality measurement and public reporting. The workgroup has charted a path for California to lead the nation in using state-based registries to track and improve cancer care. An accompanying issue brief was released.

The speakers are:

• Douglas Blayney, MD, Ann & John Doerr Medical Director and Associate Director for Clinical Care, Stanford Cancer Institute; Professor of Medicine (oncology), Associate Division Chief of Medical Oncology, Stanford University
• Dennis Deapen, DrPH, Professor of Preventive Medicine, Division of Epidemiology and Director, Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
• Sandra Hernández, MD, President and CEO, California Health Care Foundation (moderator)
• Robert Hiatt, MD, PhD, Workgroup Chair, Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Associate Director for Population Sciences, and Leader, Cancer Control Program, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco
• Elizabeth Imholz, JD, Director, Special Projects, Consumers Union
• Kenneth Kizer, MD, MPH, Distinguished Professor, UC Davis School of Medicine and Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing; Director, Institute for Population Health Improvement, UC Davis Health System
• Jennifer Malin, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Oncology Strategy and Innovation, Anthem Blue Cross

A recording of the event and the presentation slides are available below.