STS Data Abstraction Services

Registry abstraction is the process of extracting and organizing specific data elements from patient medical records for use in clinical data registries. This involves identifying, collecting, and coding data to ensure accuracy and completeness. STS abstraction services streamline this process, allowing healthcare organizations to focus on quality improvement and patient outcomes.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database includes several clinical registries aimed at improving patient care. These registries capture data on various aspects of patient treatment and outcomes. Examples include:

• STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database: Focuses on improving the care of adult cardiac surgery patients.
• STS General Thoracic Surgery Database: Targets improving the care of patients undergoing general thoracic surgery.
• STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database: Aims to enhance treatment and outcomes for congenital heart surgery patients.
• STS-ACC TVT Registry: Focuses on transcatheter valve therapy, including Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

ADN’s STS registry abstraction services help ensure that the data collected is accurate and complete, supporting national benchmarks and research.

Clinical data abstraction involves the systematic collection of clinical data from patient records for use in registries, research, and quality improvement. This process ensures that relevant information is accurately recorded and readily available for analysis. STS data abstraction focuses specifically on data related to various aspects of patient care, contributing to improved patient outcomes and adherence to best practices.

Our data abstractor training for the STS National Database is designed to be comprehensive and rigorous, ensuring the highest standards of accuracy and efficiency. Our training program includes:

• Testing and Vetting: We start with a stringent testing and vetting process for all potential hires. This ensures that only those with a solid background and experience in clinical data abstraction join our team.
• Initial Training: Experienced abstractors undergo initial training to familiarize them with our specific processes, client needs, and STS registry requirements. This includes detailed instruction on our data abstraction techniques, coding standards, and client-specific guidelines to ensure seamless integration into our workflows.
• Ongoing Education: To keep up with evolving STS standards and guidelines, our abstractors participate in continuous education. This includes regular updates on changes to STS guidelines, new best practices, and advancements in data abstraction technology.
• Quality Assurance: We implement strict quality assurance measures, including regular inter-rater reliability (IRR) assessments to ensure our abstractors maintain the highest levels of accuracy and consistency in their work.
• Hands-On Experience: Our training includes practical hands-on experience with real-world STS data abstraction scenarios. This helps our abstractors develop the skills and confidence needed to handle the complexities of STS data abstraction efficiently.
• Support and Feedback: Our abstractors receive ongoing support and feedback from our team of experienced professionals. This includes one-on-one mentoring, regular performance reviews, and access to a wealth of resources to help them continuously improve their skills.

By investing in such rigorous training, we ensure that our abstractors are well-equipped to deliver precise and reliable STS data abstraction services, ultimately helping our clients achieve their quality improvement goals.

The STS National Database aims to improve cardiac care by providing healthcare professionals with evidence-based guidelines and performance improvement tools. By collecting and analyzing data from participating hospitals, STS helps healthcare providers adhere to best practices, reduce disparities in care, and enhance patient outcomes through continuous quality improvement.

Per-chart abstraction times vary based on the STS registry type. For example, STS Adult Cardiac Surgery cases can range on average from 30 to 70 minutes per chart depending on the complexity of the case and the experience of the abstractor. Factors that can affect abstraction times include case complexity, length of stay (LOS), quality and consistency of EHR documentation, abstractor training and turnover, and job-related distractions or interruptions.

Given the clinical complexity required for accurate STS abstractions, nurses or staff with experience in patient care and quality improvement are often preferred. Other common positions include clinical data abstractors with experience in registry data collection and coding.

If your team is already at capacity, a trusted data abstraction partner like American Data Network can help. Our team can easily scale up when you want to add a registry. ADN’s per-chart pricing model provides a cost-effective solution for managing additional data abstraction needs.

• Enhanced Data Accuracy: Expert abstractors ensure precise and consistent data collection.
• Cost Savings: Reduces expenses related to hiring, training, and maintaining in-house teams.
• Focus on Performance Improvement: Frees up clinical staff to concentrate on patient care and improvement initiatives.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Quickly adjust to changes in workload and registry requirements.
• Specialized Expertise: Access to professionals who stay updated with the latest STS guidelines.
• Improved Turnaround Times: Faster data processing to meet reporting deadlines efficiently.
• Risk Mitigation: Continuity and stability despite staff turnover or leave.
• Reduced Staff Stress: Lowers workload and stress on in-house staff, enhancing job satisfaction.
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ADN maintains a high standard for accuracy through a stringent vetting and testing process for new hires. Our expert abstractors have an average of 23 years of experience working in healthcare settings as nurses, doctors, and quality managers or staff. Many also hold credentials such as CPHQ or are working towards it.

ADN’s abstraction team makes weekly progress on all populations with a typical turnaround time of 30 days after receiving your patient lists. While a 30-day turnaround is most common, we work closely with our clients to align timelines with their established processes. ADN has the resources and personnel to ramp up quickly and meet your STS abstraction needs.

Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) is performed throughout the clinical data lifecycle on a sample of cases for each registry ADN abstracts for your organization. Initially, IRR is conducted at the beginning of the engagement to ensure our abstractors understand your documentation tendencies. Routine IRR maintains accuracy standards. Certain events such as specification changes to measures or registries, expansions of our scope of work, or assignment of a new abstractor to your account can trigger additional IRR outside the regular schedule. IRR is a key component of any successful STS abstraction program and is inherent to ADN’s abstraction solution. Check out our Comprehensive IRR Guide for Clinical Data Abstraction for more details.

During the initial logistics meeting, we work closely with your team to establish communication protocols for fallouts. Your team will continue to monitor opportunities for improvement (OFIs) by running and reviewing reports available in your data collection tool. ADN commonly utilizes a shared spreadsheet to track OFIs within specific measure sets and registries. Additionally, your ADN account lead can attend regular meetings where improvement opportunities are discussed using the hourly management fee to handle compensation.

Yes, ADN can assume full responsibility or partner with your team to optimize registry management processes. These processes include overseeing program requirements, evidence-based guidelines, abstraction specifications, submission standards and deadlines, dashboard updates, reporting and benchmarking analyses, data validation, and more. Outsourcing these tasks to ADN ensures your STS program is efficient, compliant, and impactful. Check out our feature on Best Practices for Effectively Managing Your STS Registry.

Your dedicated ADN account lead will provide feedback throughout your engagement with ADN, ensuring that all abstractors assigned to your account function as an extension of your STS team. ADN can also offer additional consulting services beyond chart abstraction, including follow-up special reports or analytics with compensation handled through an hourly fee.