Why hospitals aren’t cashing in on a goldmine of registry data
Facilities generate data points for registries in high-impact areas like oncology, cardiology, trauma and stroke care, but rarely achieve benefits.
Hospitals are under increasing pressure to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs and demonstrate measurable value to payers, patients and partners.
At the center of this challenge is data - vast, complex and often underutilized. Across the country, hospitals are generating millions of data points through patient registries, particularly in high-impact areas like oncology, cardiology, trauma and stroke care.
And yet, despite the investment required to collect, maintain and report registry data, the return on that investment remains surprisingly low. That's because, in most organizations, registry data is still treated primarily as a compliance obligation, not as a strategic resource.
The untapped power of registry data
The scope of registry data is staggering. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) alone includes more than 40 million historical records and captures more than 1 million new cancer cases annually from more than 1,500 accredited facilities, representing about 72 percent of newly diagnosed U.S. cancer cases. It is one of the largest, most comprehensive sources of clinical oncology data in the world.
And that's just one registry. Hospitals routinely contribute to trauma, stroke, cardiovascular and other disease-specific registries, capturing everything from patient demographics and treatment pathways to clinical outcomes and follow-up care. These registries are designed to support performance improvement, benchmarking, accreditation and research. But in practice, most hospitals use only a fraction of this data's full potential.
While registries were created to support quality, they also hold enormous promise for informing growth initiatives, identifying care gaps and strengthening clinical alignment. That promise is often left unrealized.
Why data falls through the cracks
The problem doesn't lie with access to this information. Hospitals are rich in data. The challenge is activation - turning that data into insight and then having that insight inform action.
In many organizations, registry data is confined to the quality department. The clinical abstraction team collects it, submits it and prepares reports. But beyond accreditation site reviews and performance dashboards, the data rarely finds its way into broader conversations about strategic planning, service line development or patient acquisition. That's a missed opportunity. There are several reasons for this.
Siloed workflows. Quality, operations, strategy and marketing often operate in parallel, without shared goals or data streams.
Limited access. Non-clinical stakeholders may lack the permissions or training necessary to interpret registry reports.
Lack of standardization. Inconsistencies in abstraction, data definitions, and workflow timing reduce confidence in the data's reliability.
Compliance mindset. Registry data is often seen as something to report, not something to use.
Without a framework for integration, registry data becomes a lagging indicator, showing what went wrong rather than shaping what's next.
A missed opportunity in oncology
This disconnect is particularly evident in oncology. Cancer registries offer a uniquely rich dataset that spans the continuum of care, from diagnosis and staging through treatment, outcomes and survivorship. However, most cancer programs fail to use this data outside of required reporting and accreditation documentation.
For example, a hospital may track time-to-treatment metrics as part of its quality dashboard but not analyze the underlying drivers of delay. It may follow outmigration of patients for treatment elsewhere but not share those outcomes with strategy teams focused on market share and business development. In some cases, high-performing hospitals don’t even realize how competitive their outcomes are because they’re not looking at registry data through a strategic lens.
This limits the hospital's ability to differentiate itself in a crowded market. Patients and referring providers are increasingly conscious of outcomes performance. Employers, payers and partners want to see data-backed performance. If registry insights are sittin on the shelf, hospitals are leaving a powerful advantage untapped.
What leading hospitals are doing differently
Across the country, forward-thinking hospitals are beginning to reframe how they approach registries, no longer just considering them to be static reports, but viewing them as engines for quality improvement, strategic planning and service line growth.
These organizations:
Standardize data workflows to ensure consistent abstraction and timely reporting.
Align registry metrics with enterprise goals such as reducing variation, improving access or enhancing patient satisfaction.
Break down silos by involving operations, marketing and strategy leaders in registry planning.
Equip staff across departments to interpret and act on data, not just view it.
Use registry insights for growth, such as highlighting superior outcomes in employer outreach or using benchmarking to strengthen physician alignment.
For instance, one Midwestern health system used its lung cancer registry to analyze delays in the care pathway. The data revealed that pulmonology consults were bottlenecks. By reallocating staffing and adjusting scheduling workflows, they reduced average time-to-treatment by 22 days. This not only improved patient care but also supported more timely referrals and enhanced the program’s market reputation.
Another system layered its cardiac registry data with marketing analytics to understand how procedure volumes aligned with community health needs. This enabled them to better target outreach campaigns and optimize resource allocation.
These aren't isolated cases. They represent a broader shift toward registry intelligence — the practice of using clinical data for proactive, cross-functional strategy.
Making registry data work harder
While a new platform can help activate data, hospitals need a better framework. That taking the following steps.
Auditing current registry processes. Where are the gaps in consistency, speed or visibility?
Reframing registries as strategic tools. This starts with leadership buy-in and messaging from the top.
Creating cross-functional registry task forces. These groups should include participation from quality, operations and marketing.
Defining meaningful KPIs. Rather than focusing only on abstracted metrics, it’s crucial to define goals that support growth and performance improvement.
Investing in registry maturity. This includes staff training, internal governance and feedback loops to continuously improve abstraction and reporting.
Taking full advantage of a resource
Many hospitals already are sitting on a rich supply of patient-level data; they just need better coordination to turn that data into direction.
The gap between what hospitals have and what they use is one of the biggest missed opportunities in healthcare today. Registry data, which is collected at great expense and effort, should not be relegated to internal reports and compliance checklists. It can and should be a lever for improving performance, enhancing reputation and driving growth.
What’s needed now is a mindset shift. Hospitals that embrace this shift will move beyond compliance and position themselves as leaders in clinical excellence, patient-centered care and data-driven strategy. The goldmine is there. It’s time to start mining.
Taylor Parker is vice president of oncology accreditation services at Registry Partners, where she leads all accreditation services within the oncology service line. Before joining Registry Partners, Taylor worked as an ODS-C and outpatient coder.