Explore the latest Registry Program news and stay informed on upcoming enhancements, office hours, webinars, and more. 

• AAOS 2026 Annual Meeting
  March 2-6, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana
  Learn more about the conference.

Modernized Registry Data Submission Platform

Deployment Date: Ongoing

We are upgrading the AAOS Registry platform infrastructure to modernize data ingestion and analysis, making it easier than ever to submit and utilize your data. The enhancements will improve the data submission process with two key initiatives:

• The implementation of a streamlined data submission platform that will process your data more efficiently and effectively, resulting in higher success rates of submitted data and less manual oversight from participants.
• The launch of the 2025 data specifications, which include:
  • A new Master Data Dictionary that consolidates all module dictionaries and specifications to facilitate data consistency and ease of use.
  • A Minimum Data Set (MDS) that allows sites to participate in different tiers determined by the completeness of submitted data. The MDS will ensure that all required elements are being collected for meaningful quality improvement.

The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) and Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry (MsTR) will migrate to the new platform in fall 2025. The American Spine Registry (ASR), Fracture and Trauma (FTR), and Shoulder and Elbow Registry (SER) will follow in summer 2026. The Master Data Dictionary will be available ahead of each migration.

It is recommended that participating sites begin planning for transitioning to the new data specifications, as legacy data specifications will be sunset.

View frequently asked questions and a more comprehensive release timeline here. MDD frequently asked questions can be accessed here.

FTR Transition and Strategic Evolution

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the FTR will transition to a more integrated Registry model designed to better serve individuals and organizations committed to advancing orthopaedic care through data-driven insights.

Hip fracture data is being retained and transitioned into the AJRR and proximal humerus fracture data will migrate to the SER for broader applicability. The strategic evolution of the FTR is part of the AAOS’ modernized data submission strategy that enhances participation and long-term sustainability.

FTR reports and data will be available through Dec. 31, 2025. In 2026, submitted hip and proximal humerus fracture data will continue to be available in AJRR or SER. Captured distal femur fracture, distal radius fracture, and ankle fracture data will be archived.

For more information, view frequently asked questions.

AJRR Integration with Epic’s Community Registries

AJRR will use Epic's cloud-based Community Registries in 2026. This strategic initiative will make it easier for health systems to participate in AJRR by reducing the burden of data collection and making more information available in real time to improve patient care.

The integration of Epic’s Community Registries will support AJRR participating sites in realizing transformative benefits:

• Enhanced Clinical Decision-Making: Automated data entry will give surgeons near real-time outcomes that can be benchmarked nationally, supporting more informed treatment decisions and improving clinical workflows.
• Improved Quality Improvement and Operational Efficiency: Clinicians and quality improvement teams will gain access to more complete, current data, while hospitals benefit from improved operational and financial efficiency through reduced administrative burden.
• Better Patient Outcomes: Streamlined data collection and actionable insights will support higher quality care, patient safety, and treatment outcomes across participating sites.
• Simplified Data Specification Adoption: Sites will transition to the new 2025 specifications within the Master Data Dictionary to meet AJRR's Minimum Data Set requirements, ensuring continuity as legacy specifications are phased out in 2026.

AJRR is the first AAOS Registry to implement this modernized data collection approach, with potential expansion of the Community Registries to other AAOS registries based on the success of this initiative. The implementation will maintain AAOS' rigorous data security and privacy standards, with data transfer limited to specifications defined in active AJRR contracts.

AAOS Registry staff will notify AJRR participants about when their site’s onboarding process will begin.

ASR Next-Generation Scorecards

Deployment Date: Decemeber 2025

The ASR Next-Generation Scorecards provide a consolidated view of key 90-day outcome measures for cervical and lumbar spine procedures. These visuals support sites in tracking performance, monitoring adverse outcomes, and comparing their results against national ASR benchmarks using a layout aligned with the AJRR Scorecards.  

The Scorecards display four core measures:  

• 90-Day Surgical Site Infection Rate 
• 90-Day Complication Rate (Composite) 
• Unplanned Return to the Operating Room within 90 Days 
• Unplanned 90-Day Readmission 

For more information, view the ASR Dashboard Visualization Guide in the Dashboard Guides section of Tools & Resources on RegistryInsights. 

AJRR Risk-Adjusted Revision Rate Visuals

Deployment Date: August 2025

The AAOS American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) has introduced new risk-adjusted revision rate visuals on RegistryInsights dashboards. The risk adjustment model was developed in collaboration with Avant-garde Health and underwent expert review and validation by biostatistician Isabella Zaniletti, PhD, MA, of IZ Statistics, LLC.

The risk-adjusted revision rate visuals enable Surgeon Authorized Users and Registry Authorized Users to evaluate revision rates in a statistically adjusted framework, supporting equitable performance comparisons across surgeons, institutions, and surgeon-institution combinations.

The key benefits of the visuals include:

• Improved Accuracy: Reflects true performance by adjusting for patient case mix
• Benchmarking Capabilities: Enables comparisons across peers at the surgeon, institution, and hip and knee joint levels
• Actionable Insights: Highlights opportunities for clinical or operational improvements
• Visual Clarity: Presents metrics through funnel plots and filterable tables (by year and procedure site) to support decision making

For more information, view the Risk-Adjusted Revision Rate Visuals Guide in the Dashboard Guides section of Tools & Resources on RegistryInsights.

The AJRR and MsTR Master Data Dictionary

Deployment Date: May 2025

The Master Data Dictionary (MDD) establishes a unified approach designed to streamline data management and enhance accuracy by consolidating the new 2025 data dictionaries and specifications for all modules into a common schema. Since all the modules share many common data elements, this supports a common data model that facilitates consistency and ease of use.

The key benefits of the consolidated MDD include:

• Unified Documentation
• Flexible Array Handling
• Searching and Filtering Capabilities
• Improved Support for Multiple-value Fields
• Reduced File Management

All AJRR and MsTR sites must transition to the MDD by fall 2026.

For more information on the MDD, view the AAOS Data Submission Participant Toolkit and the AAOS Data Submission Quick Reference Guide on the Tools & Resources section of RegistryInsights. Check out MDD frequently asked questions here.

AJRR and MsTR Participation Tiers

Deployment Date: May 2025

We have introduced standard language related to participation tiers. Data completeness is a key aspect of optimizing the value of Registry participation. Across the registries, there are two levels of participation. MsTR introduced a third option due to the complexity of mapping orthopaedic oncology data in the electronic medical record and establishing the necessary workflows for collecting clinician-entered data via SmartForms.

• Standard Participation: Basic data submission for core analysis (mainly EHR-abstracted); a minimum dataset that ensures all required elements are being collected for meaningful quality improvement
• Enhanced Participation: Includes more clinical and patient-reported data for advanced analytics
• Alternative Entry Pathway (MsTR Only): Simplified submission method for sarcoma data collection designed to reduce barriers to entry

Learn more about the participation tiers and the outcomes of each option in the Tools & Resources section of RegistryInsights.

Previous Enhancements 

Learn more about past enhancements here or view the monthly release notes in RegistryInsights.