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

• 2026 Spine Summit
  Feb. 26 - March 1, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona
  Learn more about the conference.
  
  
• AAOS 2026 Annual Meeting
  March 2-6, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana
  View Registry offerings at the meeting here. Register for the meeting here.
  
  
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting
  May 1-4, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas
  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 launch of the 2026 data specifications, which include:
  • A new Master Data Dictionary (MDD) that consolidates all module dictionaries and specifications to facilitate data consistency and ease of use
  • A Minimum Data Set that will ensure all required elements are being collected for meaningful quality improvement
• 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 

As part of our routine review and refinement process, we identified areas in the 2025 MDD where data values, definitions, and business rules required clarification or adjustment. These updates are incorporated into the 2026 MDD to improve consistency, reduce interpretation challenges, and make implementation easier for participating sites. 

We are preparing to release the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) 2026 MDD, along with an accompanying changelog and updated user guide. It is important to note that the 2025 MDD will not align with AJRR ingestion requirements for 2026. All AJRR sites will need to build and submit data using the 2026 MDD in order for files to be accepted beginning in June 2026. 

To allow adequate transition time: 

• June 2026: AJRR will begin accepting submissions aligned to the 2026 MDD only. The 2025 MDD will not be accepted.
• Through June 2027: Legacy AJRR data specifications in use before the 2025 MDD will continue to be supported during the transition period. 

2026 versions of the MDD for the American Spine Registry (ASR), the Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry (MsTR), and the Shoulder & Elbow Registry (SER) will be available later this year. 

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, January 2026

The AAOS American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) has introduced 1-year and 2-year 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.

Previous Enhancements 

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