Behind Every Data Point is a Patient: Tracey Amato's Impact through Cancer Registry
Improving Cancer Care Through High-Quality Cancer Data
For more than 30 years, Tracey Amato has dedicated her career to cancer registry, helping transform complex cancer data into meaningful improvements in patient care, which is why she is being awarded the 2026 Oncology Data Specialist of the Year Award from Elekta.
Throughout her career, Tracey has worked with both hospital and state registries supporting accreditation, case abstraction, data reporting, and quality improvement initiatives. What has kept her passionate about a profession in registry is the knowledge that every case she abstracts represents a patient and that every data point and report contributes to better quality of care.
High-quality cancer data plays a critical role in supporting treatment decisions, measuring outcomes, advancing research, and improving survival rates. Tracey is passionate about how the work of oncology data specialists has a direct effect on the quality of care. “What we do is so important because it does make a difference in the patient's treatment and survival outcomes,” she said.
Even though the work of an oncology data specialist has a major impact, Tracey says many people don't fully understand the profession. Behind each cancer case is a detailed review of medical records, pathology reports, diagnostic testing, treatment information, and follow-up care. Oncology data specialists synthesize hundreds of cases each year and create reports used by physicians, researchers, and hospital administrators. Meanwhile, oncology data specialists must continually adapt to new data standards, coding requirements, and treatment approaches. Over Tracey's career, the amount of information required for each cancer case has grown significantly, reflecting the rapid advances taking place in oncology.
Turning Data into Meaningful Change with METRIQ
Today, Tracey's primary focus is supporting accreditation efforts at her facility through the Commission on Cancer (CoC), National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), and National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). These accreditations help establish a framework for delivering high-quality cancer care and continuous improvement.
The value of registry data becomes especially clear when it leads to tangible improvements in the community. Tracey and her team have used data analysis to identify opportunities for better patient access and care coordination.
One of the most meaningful outcomes was helping support the creation of a high-risk breast clinic focused on serving underserved populations. Tracey stated that "being able to pull data from METRIQ has helped us to be able to start this high-risk breast clinic," supporting a larger initiative of outreach efforts aimed at addressing transportation, financial, and other barriers to receiving cancer care.
“We were able to start a high-risk breast clinic for the underserved population because of the data. Being able to pull data from METRIQ has helped us to be able to start this high-risk breast clinic.”
For Tracey, METRIQ's intuitive design mirrors the natural workflow of cancer abstraction, helping her efficiently access the information she needs while maintaining data quality. The software's reporting capabilities also play a key role in helping her team analyze trends, support accreditation efforts, and identify opportunities to improve patient care.
METRIQ provides the reporting capabilities needed to transform cancer registry data into actionable insights. Whether supporting accreditation, identifying trends, or demonstrating community needs, METRIQ helps Tracey's team move from information to action.
Equally important is the personalized support behind METRIQ. Throughout her time working with Elekta, she has developed relationships with the support team and can rely on their timely response and help whenever needed. "If I have a question, I can call them. They would stay on the phone with me for hours if I needed it" says Tracey. Their commitment to providing hands-on assistance and taking the time to answer questions has made them a trusted partner for all oncology data specialists.
A Career Built on Purpose
“I love my job and I'm extremely passionate about what I do. I take the most pride in knowing that my work directly contributes to high-quality cancer data.”
When asked what makes her most proud, Tracey focuses not on individual accomplishments but on the collective impact of her work. For Tracey, the greatest reward is knowing that the data she has helped collect and analyze over the past three decades has supported research, strengthened cancer programs, and improved patient outcomes. “I love my job and I'm extremely passionate about what I do,” she said. “I take the most pride in knowing that my work directly contributes to high-quality cancer data.”
As the ODS of the Year Award recipient, Tracey is being recognized for her commitment to excellence and leadership in supporting Baton Rouge General Medical Center. Her work has helped improve cancer care throughout her community and will continue to benefit future patients for years to come.
