Get to Know ONCO: Amanda Geerhart

ONCO > Get to Know ONCO: Amanda Geerhart

Next up in our Get to Know ONCO series we would like to introduce another valuable member of our Professional Services Team, Amanda Geerhart.

We sat down with Amanda to discuss her role, leadership and management, report writing, and the advantages of working for ONCO Professional Services.

Amanda Geerhart, MBA, CTR, Abstracting Services Manager

Q: Can you walk us through your day-to-day duties as a Manager on the Professional Services team? 

AG: My day-to-day includes checking in with staff, running productivity, providing reports to various clients concerning their data, participating in various committees, etc.

Q: You’ve expressed that you really enjoy leadership and management.  Can you talk a little bit about your interest and what has drawn you to this type of career?

AG: Good leadership is applicable in all professional areas. I’ve always had an interest in healthcare because I loved science and providing good leadership in that space is important to me. Throughout the course of my career, I have succeeded and suffered under various types of leadership and management. There really is nothing like working for a leader who endeavors to see an employee utilize all their skillset and grow professionally. I strive to always be that leader; the one who looks for ways to grow their employees. I believe providing the best leadership I can is imperative to the success of the individual employee and ultimately the company.

Q: One of the clients you manage is a large NCI center who utilizes the data much more than your average center.  Can you walk us through the types of data they pull and the value of these reports to the organization?  What are some things registrars should keep in mind as they grow with report writing? 

AG: The Cancer Registry can be such a powerhouse of information for an organization. This particular center utilizes registry data for feasibility/patient eligibility regarding clinical trials, conducting audits, examining patient demographics for grant writing, and so much more. On a routine basis we provide case volume data to compare against monthly patient volumes seen in the clinics and we even provide a list of expired patients for the organization to send condolence cards to family members. The kind of data provided out of the Registry is endless.

One of the best things about Ad Hoc is the ability to create a filter that is as broad or as narrow as you would like it to be. When I write a filter, I tend to be very broad up front so that I don’t erroneously exclude cases. I will then build my list to include all the data items I want in my report. This method provides me the ability to examine the data for completeness, quality, and in the event the data requestor comes back with a tweak in their request I don’t have to recreate the wheel. When I was learning how to write and build reports one of the best things I did was play around in Ad Hoc Reports. I remember being a non-certified Casefinder and feeling like I saw a disproportionate number of left breast cases come through the Registry at the time, so I decided to extract the breast cases I had put on suspense and then built a list that included laterality. Lo and behold I was right. Eventually I became more curious and included histology, stage, and hormone receptor status, learning that I needed to be careful to include all the right fields especially when staging and ssdi changes occurred.

Q: When registrars are looking for a new position, why do you feel they should choose ONCO Professional Services?

AG: One of the best reasons a Registrar should look to join ONCO is the team. We have several very well-informed team members who help each other stay up to date on changes occurring the Cancer Registry. I know for me it can be difficult to stay abreast of every change, so having a team that can help with that is a tremendous asset. I would also say the exposure to different types of organizations is a huge benefit. The variety of cases the team members see working at different types of institutions creates a great knowledge base and an opportunity for the entire team to learn about certain disease types/treatments.

Q: On a personal note, what is your favorite movie and/or TV show and why? 

AG: Without a doubt my favorite movie is The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Lord Elrond gives the sword of Anduril to Aragorn and tells him it is time to become who he was born to be (aka The King of Gondor for those of you who are not nerds like me). I get chills every time I watch it, mostly because I have a deeply held belief that everyone on Earth has a purpose, was born to be something, and can create positive change by becoming who they were born to be.  As far as tv shows go, I’m currently enjoying Parks and Recreation because I find a little bit of myself in the characters of Ron Swanson, Leslie Knope, and Andy Dwyer.