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

AAOS OTA Orthopaedic Trauma Update in Tactics and Techniques
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Rosemont, Illinois
The AAOS Fracture & Trauma Registry will have a booth. Learn more about the course.

Registry Office Hours for The Joint Commission Advanced Certifications
Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, at 12 - 1 p.m. CT
Click here to join the session on 12/17.

Modernized Data Submission Platform

Deployment Date: Ongoing

We are upgrading the AAOS Registry platform infrastructure to modernize data ingestion, storage, and analysis, making it easier than ever to submit and utilize your data. The first phase of 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 dictionary and specifications to facilitate data consistency and ease of use.
  • A Minimum Data Set (MDS) that allows sites to participate on different levels 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 spring 2025. The American Spine Registry (ASR), Fracture and Trauma (FTR), and Shoulder and Elbow Registry (SER) will follow in summer 2025. The Master Data Dictionaries will be available ahead of each migration.

It is recommended that AJRR and MsTR participating sites begin planning for transitioning to the new data specifications. All legacy data specifications will be accepted through June 2026.

American Joint Replacement Registry Quality Improvement Scorecards 

Deployment Date: Q3 2024

This year, AJRR participants gained access to the Quality Improvement Scorecard on the Institution and Surgeon Dashboards in RegistryInsights®. The scorecard enhances transparency, allowing participants to track performance, benchmark against national standards, and support practice improvements.

What’s New?

• Quality Improvement Scorecard: Track key metrics, including:
   
  • Unplanned 90-day readmission/admission rate
    
    
  • 90-day composite complication rate 
    
    
  • Preoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) completion rate (90-0 days pre-op) 
    
    
  • Postoperative 1-year PROMs completion rate (300-425 days post-op) 
    
    
  • Pre AND postoperative 1-year PROMs completion rate (300-425 days post-op) 
    
    
    • Aligns with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) / Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) Patient-reported Outcomes Performance Measure (PRO-PM) and The Joint Commission 1-year PROMs requirements 
      
      
• Measure Details: Measure definitions and coding lists can be found within the "2024 Scorecard Measure Specifications & Code Lists" document in the "Dashboard Guides" section of "Tools & Resources" on RegistryInsights.  
  
  

Coming Soon

• Risk-adjusted Revision Rate: A new, risk-adjusted measure to provide a deeper look into revision rates
  
  
• Quarterly PDF Summaries: Regular summaries to provide snapshots of your key metrics with links to the full dashboard
  
  

For more details, see the "July 2024 Registry Release Notes" in "Tools & Resources" on RegistryInsights. View the "August 2024 Release Notes" for information on functionality updates that were made in August.  

To ensure all your site’s users receive the quarterly PDF summary emails, please confirm your users are current in the "Role Management" section under "Administration" on RegistryInsights. 

Tools & Resources Enhancements 

Deployment Date: July 2024

The “Tools & Resources” section of RegistryInsights has been updated to improve the organization of instructional documents. In addition to new sections categorized by document type, supplemental information is available when hovering over each document. 

For additional information on the updated “Tools & Resources” section, please view a recording of a recent office hours session that offered a preview of the new layout before it launched. 

Secure File Transfer Protocol Updates 

Deployment Date: June 2024

AAOS enhanced the security of secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) transmissions on June 17, 2024, by adhering to industry best practices and aligning with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)’s standards. These standards provide guidance on the use of cryptographically secure protocols and ciphers.  

These changes applied to all AAOS registries. The updates do not affect uploads via the HTTPS website, only uploads via SFTP client software are affected. 

Please share the “Registry SFTP Requirements for Compatibility” document with your site's IT department to ensure continued communications with the AAOS Registry SFTP service after June 17, 2024. The document can be found in the “Data Submission Tools” section of “Tools & Resources.” 

Registry Quality Collaboration with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association 

Deployment Date: Q2 2024

The AAOS announced that it is collaborating with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) to allow quality outcomes data from the AJRR and ASR to be evaluated for current and prospective Blue Distinction® Centers.  

AJRR and ASR accept the data that meet the five required quality measures for Blue Distinction Centers, and sites can submit via the Registry Program or the BCBSA Provider Survey for the 2025 Designation Evaluation. New dashboard visuals for the five measures are available in the Performance Measures tab of RegistryInsights, and a performance report for BCBSA metrics launched in May. The report recieved updates in August to improve the functionality and user experience.  

Read more about the collaboration here. View the “June 2024 Release Notes” on RegistryInsights for more information on the dashboard visuals and performance report.  

PRO Portal Updates 

Deployment Date: May 2024

The Patient-reported Outcome (PRO) Portal was updated to improve the functionality and user experience for Registry participants. These updates included: 

• New PRO Portal menu 

• Additional Patient Lookup fields 

• Kiosk Mode updates 

• Responsive mobile design 

• Clear, Save, and Submit functionalities were added 

• All survey questions display in a single screen 

• New survey completion emails 

Learn about these enhancements in the “May 2024 Release Notes” in the “Tools & Resources” section of RegistryInsights. 

PROMIS Global Update to v1.2 

Deployment Date: May 2024

We have updated the PROMIS Global responses to v1.2 of the assessment. Sites submitting on the 2024v1 AJRR PROMs file must update responses to have the assessment accurately scored for any submissions after May 9. No action is required for PRO Portal users, as the PRO Portal was updated automatically.  

Please see information on the PROMIS Global v1.2 in the “May 2024 Release Notes” on RegistryInsights. 

Shoulder & Elbow Registry Data Specifications Updates  

Deployment Date: Q2 2024

We have updated the Trigger Codes and Concomitant Codes tabs in the SER Data Specifications to support data extraction clarity. In the procedure file, at least one trigger code needs to be submitted per patient case and a concomitant code should not be submitted without a trigger code. View the new SER Data Specification versions in “Tools & Resources” on RegistryInsights.  

Resources for the CMS IQR THA/TKA PRO-PM

Deployment Date: Q1 2024

The CMS IQR THA/TKA PRO-PM mandated that pre- and postoperative data must be captured for procedures performed from July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025. The AJRR offers an IQR PROMs Performance Report for tracking PROMs completion and scores for the required data elements. The report is formatted for direct submission to CMS, or you can opt in to have the AJRR submit the data to CMS on behalf of your site. 

Click here for more information on how to use the AJRR to support your site with the CMS IQR THA/TKA PRO-PM. 

Previous Enhancements 

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