The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR)—the cornerstone of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Registry Program—announces the release of its 2018 Annual Report on hip and knee arthroplasty patient outcomes.

The AJRR Annual Report, released in conjunction with the first day of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons’ (AAHKS) 2018 Annual Meeting, includes findings from the 1,186,955 cumulative procedures performed between 2012 and 2017.

“AJRR has been able to move forward with analysis of new data elements and data sources this year,” says Kevin J. Bozic, MD, MBA, Chair, AJRR Steering Committee, in a media release.

“New Annual Report sections include an overview of data completeness, patient-reported outcome measures, and implant survivorship curves. We believe these data will prove valuable to orthopaedic surgeons, hospitals, device manufacturers, payors, and most importantly patients as we seek to improve outcomes for hip and knee arthroplasty patients.”

The 2018 AJRR Annual Report includes updates on key initiatives delivered to registry stakeholders. These include:

  1. increased access to Medicare claims data to improve data reporting and longitudinal analysis capabilities;
  2. developed the International Society of Arthroplasty Registries’ (ISAR) International Prostheses Library to serve as a source of medical device information and safety alerts for industry partners and ISAR member organizations worldwide;
  3. more robust data capture specifications that enable AJRR subscribers to conduct risk-adjusted case analysis and participate in pay-for-performance programs through an enhanced RegistryInsights dashboard; and,
  4. an increase in published, peer-reviewed research that demonstrate the value of Registry data and its analysis.

More robust data capture specifications enhance the quality and types of data included in the AJRR, including surgical approach, procedure duration, use of computer navigation and robotic-assisted surgery, and length of hospital stay. Enhanced data specifications also enable the registry to track surgical complications, as well as risk-adjust data for reporting purposes going forward, to include patient comorbidities, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and discharge disposition, the release continues.

“This year’s Annual Report foreshadows the registry’s transition to analytic capabilities that were simply not possible before,” states Terence J. Gioe, MD, AJRR Annual Report editor. “Access to over one million Medicare patient records, new data specifications that will support risk-adjusted analysis, and emphasis on data completeness will contribute to future arthroplasty research and findings that may prove or dispel commonly held arthroplasty performance impressions from the past.”

[Source(s): American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, PR Newswire]