Created in 2009, the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) has grown to be the world’s largest registry of hip and knee replacement data by annual procedural count. The Registry contains data on over 3 million procedures from hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and private practice groups in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In June 2017, AAOS made a commitment to develop and create a family of registries across the spectrum of orthopaedic specialties, beginning with AJRR's reintegration into AAOS as the cornerstone of the AAOS Registry Program. AJRR's Steering Committee is made up of multi-disciplinary stakeholders who receive guidance from the AAOS Registry Oversight Committee and ultimately the AAOS Board of Directors.
By collecting and reporting data, the AJRR provides actionable, evidence-based information to guide physicians and patient decision-making to improve care. It empowers health care organizations to enhance the patient experience and benchmark performance, orthopaedic surgeons to reduce complications and revision rates, and device manufacturers to strengthen post-market surveillance.
AJRR Data Elements Collected
The AJRR collects hip and knee arthroplasty procedures in three data types: procedural, post-operative, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) data. Procedural data is patient-related, hospital/practice-related, surgeon-related, and procedure-related data that includes information about comorbidities, length of stay, and operative complications. Post-operative data includes 90-day readmission data and post-operative complications data. A PROM is a survey that captures a patient’s self-assessment regarding their health status and may include questions related to physical function, mental attitude, mobility, social function, and bodily pain. AJRR recommends collecting a health-related quality of life measure and a hip or knee-specific measure.
Procedural
Patient
- Name (Last, First)
- Date of Birth
- Social Security Number
- Diagnosis (ICD-9/10, CPT)
- Gender
- Race/Ethnicity
- Height + Weight/Body Mass Index
- Payer Status
Site of Service
- Name and Address (TIN, NPI)
Surgeon
- Name (NPI)
- Trainee
Procedure
- Type (ICD-9/10, CPT)
- Date of Surgery
- Length of Stay
- Surgical Approach
- Surgical Technique
- Laterality
- Implants (Manufacturer, Lot #)
- Anesthesia
Comorbidities and Complications
- Comorbidities (ICD-9/10, CPT)
- CJR Risk Variables
- Height + Weight/Body Mass Index
- Length of Stay
- American Society of Anesthesiologists Score
- Charlson Index
- Operative and Post-operative Complications
Patient-reported Outcomes
Recommended:
- PROMIS-10 Global or VR-12
- HOOS, Jr.
- KOOS, JR.
Also Accepted:
- SF-36 v1
- HOOS/KOOS
- Oxford Hip and Knee Scores
- Knee Society Knee Scoring System
- Harris Hip Score
- WOMAC (Modified via HOOS and KOOS)
- SF-12, EQ-5D, WOMAC (only accepting final scores)
- PROMIS-29
- PROMIS Anxiety
- PROMIS Depression
- PROMIS Pain Interference
- PROMIS-CAT (only accepting summary scores)
Interested in viewing the Data Specifications or Data Dictionary for AJRR? These documents are proprietary and can be accessed in the Tools & Resources tab on AAOS RegistryInsights®. For more information, please contact AAOS Registry Program staff at RegistryInfo@aaos.org.
AJRR Data Submission
After AJRR participating sites collect the necessary data elements, they submit their data through the AAOS RegistryInsights® data upload process via a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) or hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).
A few data submission best practices include:
- Submitting data monthly
- Consulting with your site’s IT team to set up automated reports
- Monitoring data submission uploads and addressing errors
- Utilizing an AAOS Registry Program Authorized Vendor to facilitate the data submission process
For more information about AJRR data submission, click here.
AJRR Participation Benefits
Participating in AJRR provides access to sitewide, systemwide, and nationwide data. Reuse of Registry data has value to certifying bodies, quality reporting, device surveillance, reimbursement, and quality measurement efforts.
A few top benefits of AJRR participation include:
- Access to national benchmarks
- Standard reports and personalized dashboards for procedural, post-operative, and PROMs data
- Meeting the registry requirement for The Joint Commission Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement
Learn more about AJRR participation benefits here.
Learn more about the quality initiatives that AJRR can help meet here.
AJRR Supporters
View information about AJRR’s supporters here.
AJRR Leadership
The AJRR Steering Committee is comprised of stakeholders from various disciplines that are all vested in improving orthopaedic care. The AJRR Steering Committee members and the organizations they represent include:
- James I. Huddleston, III, MD, FAAOS, Chair
Stanford University - Scott M. Sporer, MD, FAAOS, Vice Chair
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Central DuPage Hospital - James A. Browne, MD, FAAOS
University of Virginia - Antonia Chen, MD, MBA, FAAOS
Brigham and Women’s Hospital - Paul J. Duwelius, MD, FAAOS
Orthopedic and Fracture Specialists - Brian Hallstrom, MD, FAAOS
University of Michigan - Richard L. Illgen, II, MD, FAAOS
University of Wisconsin-School of Medicine and Public Health - William A. Jiranek, MD, FACS, FAAOS
Duke University - Leslie Klemp, RN
Rush University Medical Center - William Long, MD, FRCS, FAAOS
Hospital For Special Surgery - Howard Marans, MD
Aetna - James D. Slover, MD, FAAOS
Northwell Health - Bryan D. Springer, MD, FAAOS
OrthoCarolina Hip and Knee Center - Jeffrey B. Stambough, MD, FAAOS
University of Arkansas For Medical Sciences
Past AJRR Steering Committee Chairs:
- 2023-Present
James I. Huddleston, III, MD, FAAOS - 2020-2022
Bryan D. Springer, MD, FAAOS - 2018-2019
Kevin J. Bozic, MD, FAAOS, MBA - 2015-2017
Daniel J. Berry, MD, FAAOS - 2013-2014
William J. Maloney, MD, FAAOS - 2010-2012
David G. Lewallen, MD, FAAOS
State Registries
The AJRR currently manages the California State Registry (formerly the California Joint Replacement Registry [CJRR]) and has collaborative relationships with the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative (MARCQI) and the Virginia Joint Registry (VJR).
Click here to view current and previous California State Registry Annual Report Supplements.
Enrolling in the AJRR is Easy
Your site can join the AJRR in 5 simple steps. Learn about the enrollment process here. Visit the AAOS Registry Program FAQs page for more details about Registry Program participation. If you have additional questions about joining the AJRR, please email RegistryEngagement@aaos.org or call (847) 292-0530.
