We have the capability of collecting several different types of data in our three file layouts. Certain data elements and specific measures may be required by either the Registry Program or CMS to qualify for some quality initiatives. Below is a list of the data elements in each file layout with links to more detailed information. AJRR’s data elements can also be viewed in one place here and the Shoulder & Elbow Registry’s (SER) data elements can be viewed in one place here.

Everything you ever wanted to know about patient-reported outcomes and the AJRR

What is the difference between a PRO and a PROM

Why should I include a PRO program at My institution

Can I start a PRO program at my ASC

What does AJRR provide for a PRO system

What PRO measures do AJRR collect

What are my options to submit PROs to AJRR

How do I start a PRO progam at my institution

What measures are appropriate for me

7 things to consider when choosing PROM timelines

How do I develop a workflow for data capture

Interpretation of PRO results

 Most of the information contained in this section can be found in the AAOS Registry Program PROMs Guide as a PDF.

Submitting data to our Registry Program is a simple process. It involves extracting procedures from your facility’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, and then submitting files through our secure site. The Registry Program secure transfer site implements both a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) service for participating facilities. Both services present extended validation certificates and automatically encrypt all data upon landing.

We accept data files in either .csv or .xls format, and recommend that files be uploaded monthly. We encourage the submission of retrospective data.

We have agreements with several EHR/technology vendors to assist with the data submission process. These agreements entail extracting certain levels of client data or sending data on behalf of clients. If your site uses one of the vendors below, data transmission to the AAOS Registry Program can be streamlined. However, if you don’t utilize one of the vendors listed below, we will work with you to find an easy solution.

These AAOS Registry Program Authorized Vendors send data on behalf of their clients:

· Cedaron    

· Clarify Health Solutions 

· CODE Technology 

· Consensus Medical Systems, Inc.   

· Duet Health  

· FORCE Therapeutics  

· Invivolink, Inc.  

· Kermit   

· MedTrak, Inc. (CareSense System) 
· [m]pirik 
· OM1     

· Ortech, Inc. 

· OutcomeMD 

· Ready Surgery 

· Surgical Outcomes System (Arthrex) 

· URS-Oberd, Inc. 

· ValidCare 

· Vox Telehealth   

· Wellbe, Inc. 

· Wellpepper, Inc. 

These three vendors do not send data on behalf of clients, rather they provide data extract templates:

· Amkai Solutions

· Cerner 

· Epic   

If you are a technology vendor who is interested in sending data on behalf of your clients for the AAOS Registry Program, we'd like to talk to you. Please fill out the Technology Vendor Interest Form and Registry Program staff will get back to you with information about our AAOS Authorized Vendor program.

 

We are HIPAA and HITECH Compliant
We’re a Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act compliant organization. This has led to us documenting and implementing policy, as well as training employees according to the regulations. Some of the data we collect will qualify as protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA Privacy and Security rules. We take data security seriously and employ several steps to safeguard patient privacy.

We utilize industry-wide best security practices when it comes to the integrity and safeguarding of our sensitive information. You can be confident in knowing that we have employed internal risk management practices to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data. We’ve activated strong authentication measures and strong encryption algorithms that meet industry standard criteria. In addition, we’ve implemented administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of the confidential patient information.

Our Annual Audit Confirms Data Integrity
You can be confident about your site’s data integrity. To ensure that the Registry Program's data and reporting are as accurate as possible, every year we undergo a third-party audit of a sample of our participating sites. Quality Insights is a non-profit organization that works with numerous medical specialty organizations and the federal government on a variety of quality initiatives. They have audited our data since 2013, and their latest finding from our 2017 data audit has the overall agreement rate for the medical record review at 94.5%. The overall completeness assessment rate was 75%.

 

AAOS Registries are built on technology that allows your site to access all your AAOS orthopaedic registries in one place. RegistryInsights^® subscribers currently have access to three dashboards: Data Submitters Dashboards, Institution Dashboards, and Surgeon Dashboards.

Each site receives Data Submitters Dashboards access for unlimited users. Easily provide your IT department and/or Authorized Vendors access to submit data securely with insights into the accuracy of the data submission process. The dashboards provide the ability to view issues with the files your site uploaded, allowing for more accuracy and transparency into your site’s data integrity. Once the files are correctly submitted, you can view the data on the platform within 48 hours.

The Institution Dashboards give Authorized Users unlimited access to run reports and compare their site and health system to national benchmarks. It includes procedural, post-operative, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) dashboards with site and national views. Your RegistryInsights annual subscription allows for one Authorized User, but you can add more for an additional annual fee.

The Surgeon Dashboards provide surgeons personalized dashboard and a summarized status of their individual procedural, post-operative, and PROMs data, so they can compare it against national benchmarks. They can use this information for required reporting to quality improvement initiatives, including the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification program. Complete this form to get started with the Surgeon Dashboards.

Run Your Reports in RegistryInsights

With all the data that hospitals, surgery centers, and private practice groups receive from their patients, it may be a difficult task to narrow down what you’re specifically looking for. You’re in luck: RegistryInsights allow you to run over 25 different reports on your site’s data. Each report provides diverse pieces of information that help paint a complete picture of your orthopaedic practices. 

A custom report can be generated from your data at no addtional cost. For information on custom reports, contact the AAOS Registry Analytics team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

---

Compare Your Site to National Benchmarks with the Dashboards

Collecting data and measuring patient outcomes against how you’ve performed in the past can improve the quality of patient care. However, even more valuable is the ability to compare your site’s data to that of national benchmarks, which is exactly what RegistryInsights dashboards allow. Easy-to-understand graphs help you visualize how your data stacks up against the other (de-identified) participants in the Registry Program, and you are given the option of changing the scope of the data. You can access graphs that compare your individual site or your entire health system to national demographics.

---

The RegistryInsights PRO Platform

Our PRO platform is a free benefit included with your subscription. The AAOS Registry Program offers a system that can deliver patient-reported outcome (PRO) surveys to patients and collect their responses. The patient responses are then displayed on your RegistryInsights dashboards and can be compared to national scores.

PROs can be valuable tools in guiding physicians and patients on understanding a patient’s health status, as well as help with government quality improvement initiatives and reimbursements opportunities. Consider using our robust RegistryInsights PRO platform to make a positive impact on your site’s quality measurement.

---

How do I Access RegistryInsights?

AAOS Registry Program participants that have received username and password credentials can log into RegistryInsights at www.aaos.org/ajrr (in the upper right-hand corner under "Registry Login"). Contact Registry Support at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are unable to log in.

Make sure you’re receiving the most value from your Registry experience - join the Registry Program’s User Group Network (Unet). It’s free for all participants, and allows you to learn and explore educational opportunities from other users. There are quarterly conference calls, an online forum, and a yearly in-person meeting. Visit our Unet page to learn more.

Can I Access Registry Program Data for Clinical Investigation?

We understand our colleagues may want to access the data in the Registry Program to conduct further analyses and address specific hypotheses beyond our national benchmarks.

The goal of the AAOS Registry Analytics Institute™ is to provide a resource to the scientific community to further understand and improve orthopaedic and musculoskeletal care by making data available to examine outcomes related to orthopaedics. The Institute gives clinicians and clinician-scientists the opportunity to submit proposals for analytic insight that are contained within its various Registries. The structure of the application process utilizes members of the AJRR Research Projects Subcommittee (RPS) and the AJRR Data Committee to provide oversight and constructive peer review of external data request applications. Data analysis will be completed by AAOS Registry Analytics team members for all approved proposals.

To learn more about the application process and participate in a data analysis collaboration with the AJRR, click here.