Karen Ellwood
Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 11:05 AM

Happy New Year OCRA!!

I hope that the New Year has been treating you great. We have to count our blessings for this mild winter we are experiencing thus far, wouldn’t you agree?

Well, we have a lot to discuss here. First off – Don’t forget to get your OCRA membership application sent in. You can access this on the new OCRA website at www.ohio-ocra.org on the “Membership Information” tab. This must be postmarked/submitted on or before February 29, 2012. Also, while you are doing this, you might as well check mark the box for the Annual Meeting Scholarship. Yep, that’s it, just check mark the box and you are automatically entered in the drawing. Send in your application NOW!

Next is we have successfully achieved the CE hours for all of last year’s meetings. Contact Janice White, Education Chair, at jnwhite80@gmail.com for your CE hour program #. We apologize for the delay in getting these back to you. NCRA has changed their process again! I will be in contact with your Regional Directors to discuss this. Please keep in mind that, as a cancer registrar, nothing stays the same and change is inevitable. Your Regional Directors will be relaying information after our next Executive Board meeting to discuss these issues with you.

Again, if you have not been to OCRA’s new website, please visit it soon at www.ohio-ocra.org. While there, you might as well visit OCRA on Facebook and LinkedIn. You can also view the CLP Newsletters in the “Registry News” tab. These newsletters come from Dr. Moysaenko and Dr. Stevenson. We are very fortunate to have such great liaisons for our state with these 2 physicians. Please review the information they provide as it is very valuable to your cancer program liaisons.

NCRA has also posted the 2012 CTR Exam testing windows. They are March 3-17, 2012, and September 8-22, 2012. March’s application deadline is January 31, 2012. September’s application deadline is July 31, 2012. Full details can be found at www.ctrexam.org.

The Fall 2011, Volume 38, Number 3, Journal of Registry Management had a Special Feature article in it. It is titled Raising the Bar: What is Your Strategy for the 21st Century?, written by Michele Webb, CTR. This article focuses on how our professional lives have changed from conference room meetings to web conferencing and how we need to focus on our soft skill abilities. I strongly encourage all of you to read this article for your professional advantage in our ever-changing cancer registry field. I think you will find this article very enlightening.

I will be visiting the Ohio regions at your regional meetings soon. I have visited with MVCRA and NWOCDS already. Thank you to both regions for being a great host to me. I am looking forward to visiting the other regions in the next several months.

The OCRA Executive Board will be meeting again in March. Please feel free to send your concerns, questions, or what have you to your Regional Director or to me. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I wish you a safe rest of winter and hope that spring welcomes you with exhilaration. Remember, join OCRA before the end of February, pay attention to the OCRA website (www.ohio-ocra.org), read your communications from NCRA, and know that I am available for any questions, concerns, or advice to make OCRA better. I am very thankful for all OCRA members as we continue to strive in the fight of cancer.

Karen Ellwood, RHIT, CTR
OCRA President

Karen Ellwood
Friday, November 25, 2011, 10:48 AM

Happy Thanksgiving OCRA!

I hope you and your family had a great holiday.

OCRA has been busy since the Annual Meeting. We met in Columbus on November 5, 2011, for our first Executive Board Meeting. We set our budget for the year, received regional directors' reports, discussed the annual meeting held in September, got updates from our liaisons, and a slew of many other topics were discussed.

Most importantly is this new website, and we are on Facebook and LinkedIn. Many thanks goes to Laura Vondenhuevel for all of our new social exposure! If you have not viewed us on Facebook or LinkedIn, please do so soon. All of our new exposure will continue to make Ohio and other states aware that we are dedicated to do what we can in the war on cancer. If you have any suggestions for any of the 3 new social media exposure sites, you can "Contact Us" on this new website. All ideas are welcome.

Since we are coming to a quick close on 2011, I have a few announcements for the coming year. The OPCC Annual Meeting will be held on December 9, 2011, from 10 am to 2 pm at the ACS Headquarters at 5555 Frantz Road in Dublin. Lunch will be provided. Dr. Stephen Edge from the Commission on Cancer will be the keynote speaker. To RSVP contact Debbie Wallace at 614-728-7418 before December 3, 2011. OCRA's next Annual Meeting will be held in September from the 26th to the 28th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Beavercreek, OH. The theme is "Pathway to Cancer Registry." The Miami Valley Cancer Registrars Association (MVCRA) are working diligently to create a great meeting for us. The NWOCDS region will be holding meetings on the NAAACR Webinar dates in March, April, May, and September. The NCRA meeting will be held from April 18 - 21, 2012, in Washington DC at the Gaylord National. Mark your calendars for these events so that we can continue our dedication to excellence in the war on cancer.

As President, I have attended 2 of the 6 regions' meetings since the Annual Meeting. I thank MVCRA and NWOCDS for their hospitality and great meetings. I plan to participate in the remaining 4 regions before next September.

Remember, OCRA's Membership Drive will start December 1, 2011. Look for the application here on the new website soon. The membership drive will end February 29, 2012! Get your membership in soon.

I thank you again for your daily efforts in Ohio and in the fight against cancer.

Karen Ellwood, RHIT, CTR
OCRA President