Ultimately, patients are the ones who benefit most when your organization and surgeons participate in the American Spine Registry (ASR). Through the submission and analysis of data, it’s easy to actively utilize the knowledge gained to improve outcomes and the quality of spine care. With national data at your fingertips through the RegistryInsights® platform, you can compare your results to performance across the country, supporting highly informed decision-making and quality improvement.
The ASR is built on technology called RegistryInsights. ASR participants have access to two dashboards on RegistryInsights: Institution Dashboards and Surgeon Dashboards. Administrators have access to the Institution Dashboards, while authorized surgeons can access their own data on the Surgeon Dashboards. The RegistryInsights platform also offers numerous reports that you can run on your data at any time.
Hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and private practice groups of any size and staffing model can participate in the ASR. Surgeons can access their data through the Surgeon Dashboard feature in RegistryInsights if their site is participating. To get started, please contact our Engagement team at Engagement@AmericanSpineRegistry.org.
Our Surgeon Dashboards provide surgeons a confidential, personalized dashboard and summarized status of their individual data so they can compare it against national data. They can use this information for required reporting to quality improvement initiatives. For more information, please contact our Engagement team at Engagement@AmericanSpineRegistry.org.
The ASR collects procedural data, post-operative data, and patient-reported outcome measurement (PROM) data. ASR has a Standard option for participating with discrete data pulls from electronic health records (EHR) and select PROMs, and a Vanguard option with additional data elements such as from an operative form and extended PROM follow-up.
The decision to participate in Standard and Vanguard will vary by the technology and staff available at the site. Standard and Vanguard levels are designated by what data elements a site submits and a site can change status at any time they desire. Vanguard sites are committing to an additional level of data collection.
Data is processed in the ASR with automated and manual validation programs, regular quality control, and annual external audits. Sites will be provided an ability to see submissions, monitor and address rejected files, review canned dashboards and reports, access all documents and resources, and compare themselves to national data.
In the age of digitization, keeping data secure is of the utmost importance. The privacy and security of patient health information is a top priority for the ASR. That’s just one reason why we follow all Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and Protected Health Information (PHI) regulations. The ASR PHI is secured, maintained, and released in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations, including HIPAA regulations. Likewise, all personnel who process, generate reports, or otherwise have contact with PHI must uphold the patient’s rights to confidentiality. This policy refers to all information resources, whether written, verbal, or electronic, and whether individually controlled, shared, stand-alone, or networked.
Additionally, our staff has been trained in HIPAA privacy and security. We are committed to routinely auditing users’ access to patient information to assure that these standards are upheld. Security assessments for participating sites are available as needed.
Yes, the ASR collects COVID-19 data through the capture of the ICD-10 code for COVID-19 confirmed diagnosis, U07.1. Tracking this information will help analyze the impact of COVID-19 on outcomes, trends of surgery based on the pause in elective surgery, and the trends of patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) due to delayed procedures. It will also track the potential impact on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) value-based payment models and coverage for patients recovering from COVID-19. Key findings will be delivered to participants, the orthopaedic community, and the broader public throughout the years.
Hospitals, health care systems, practice groups, and ambulatory surgery centers already participating in the Registry will not need to join a new registry or engage in a new way to submit their data. Capturing this code will not change the site’s workflow since it was added as an accepted value for existing diagnosis or comorbidity code files. The ICD-10 code can be submitted as a pre-operative comorbidity or prior diagnosis present on admission and as a reason for readmission. Learn more here.