Level III data submission simplified for registry participants
In late 2015, the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) launched a Level III patient-reported outcome (PRO) platform. As part of an ongoing training and educational series on registry participation, the organization issued a comprehensive patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) guide for hospitals and other institutions on implementing a PRO program. The guide will help AJRR participants and those interested in starting a PRO program better manage and build their programs.

A PRO is defined as any information on the outcomes of health care obtained directly from patients without modification by clinicians or other health care professionals. A PROM is a survey that captures a patient's self-assessment of his or her health, and covers factors such as health status (mental and/or physical), function symptoms, and health-related quality of life. PROMs can provide a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of patient-centered care, including evaluation of surgical or other treatment outcomes.

Highlights of the 24-page AJRR guide include:

• three major reasons why providers could be interested in collecting PROs
• workflow diagrams that help visualize the data collection and submission processes
• tables that specify which PROMs are collected by AJRR
• a checklist of steps to consider before beginning data collection
• a "lessons learned" section based on information from focus groups and discussions with other hospitals
• an appendix with additional information and resources

PRO data will be critical as the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other payers move toward defining quality measures to evaluate healthcare providers' performance for value-based reimbursement of care. For example, CMS defines PRO requirements within their Medicare reimbursement programs such as the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model and the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). AJRR's new PROMs guide explains how the Level III platform simplifies such reimbursements. The platform removes the chance of duplicate work being performed by hospital staff and showcases the registry's flexibility in accepting measures, so institutions that are already collecting data do not have to start from scratch.

Along with AJRR's previously released PRO overview, the new guide continues to elaborate on the processes required to create a PRO program. The examples contained in the guide are designed to make data submission an easier task for registry users, so the national registry can become more comprehensive. In turn, this will lead to improved care for patients who undergo hip and knee arthroplasty.

For more information about AJRR's PRO platform, contact AJRR at info@ajrr.net or 847-292-0530. To access the PROs measures guide, visit the AJRR website, at ajrr.net