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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Getting set up to continuously submit data to the ASR takes approximately 60 business days. An ASR Support Specialist will be assigned to work on your Registry implementation and walk you through the entire process. Our Support Specialists will be happy to assist you. Contact them at Support@AmericanSpineRegistry.org.
Not all elements are required, but there are certain fields that must be completed or the submission will not be accepted. Whether your site is a Standard or Vanguard participant determines which elements are required. There are also conditional fields that are not necessary to be completed for all uploads. Any field that is not required must be populated with either “Not Reported” or “NR.” A complete listing of non-required and required fields are designated in the Data Specifications and Data Dictionary documents.
The American Spine Registry (ASR) collects procedural data, post-operative data, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) data. ASR has a Standard option for participating with discrete data pulls from electronic health records (EHR) and minimal PROMs, and a Vanguard option with additional data elements such as from the brief-op notes and longer PROM follow-up. ASR data elements are summarized here.
Contact Diane Ziegenhorn at Ziegenhorn@AmericanSpineRegistry.org with all legacy Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) questions.
We continually provide ongoing communications that keep you abreast of everything to do with the ASR including complimentary webinars, blog articles, and e-newsletter. We also have a Registry User Group Network (Unet), which will provide peer-peer engagement and primary training for sites from ASR staff. This group will host monthly webinars, quarterly calls, and annual in-person meetings with topics sourced from site feedback. Additionally, we can provide you with an ASR participation logo that you can use to communicate your commitment to quality through registries. For more information on this, please contact Info@AmericanSpineRegistry.org.
Participation has many benefits including assistance with several federal quality initiatives, certification programs, and insurers’ distinction programs. These programs provide reimbursements and other incentives for displaying improvement in the quality of patient care, prompting medical sites to use clinical data registries to compare outcomes success. Learn more about our registry data reuse opportunities.
Each site receives one Authorized User license as part of the participation fee. That individual has full access to the RegistryInsights platform. There are other roles that can be assigned to other individuals (i.e. Data Submission User, Patient-reported Outcome Measure (PROM) Site Administrator, and Surgeon User). If your site would like to purchase more than one Authorized User, please contact the ASR Engagement team at Engagement@AmericanSpineRegistry.org.
The decision to participate in Vanguard and Standard will vary by the technology and staff available at the site. The key difference is that the vanguard option requires additional data elements and expanded collection of PROMs. Standard and vanguard level are designated by what the data elements sites submit.
The annual participation fee in the ASR is $5,000 per site with a one-time configuration fee of $750. This fee is not dependent on the number of surgeons at a site or the number of features utilized. It is a flat fee and ASR sites will have access to robust Registry participation benefits and value without any additional fees. Please contact our Engagement team at Engagement@AmericanSpineRegistry.org for more information on pricing.
Procedures collected by ASR include fusion, corpectomy, discectomy, laminectomy, foraminotomy and other interventions as well.
Our Surgeon Dashboards provide surgeons a confidential, personalized dashboard and summarized status of their individual data so they can compare it against national benchmarks. They can use this information for required reporting to quality improvement initiatives. If you would like to provide a surgeon access to their own dashboards, please contact our Engagement team at Engagement@AmericanSpineRegistry.org.
Hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and private practice groups of any size can participate in the American Spine Registry (ASR). Surgeons can access their data if their site is participating through the Surgeon Dashboard feature in RegistryInsights. To get started, contact an ASR Engagement Associate at Engagement@AmericanSpineRegistry.org or (847) 292-0530. They will be able to demonstrate the RegistryInsights platform for your site via webinar and walk you through the enrollment process.
Ultimately, patients are the ones who benefit most when your organization and surgeons participate in the ASR. Through the submission and analysis of data, it’s easy to actively utilize the knowledge gained to improve outcomes and the quality of orthopaedic care. With national benchmark 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 American Spine Registry (ASR) is a collaborative effort of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) on a national quality improvement registry for spine care. Both organizations have joint ownership and leadership representation in this effort. The ASR will transform the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) Spine Registry, currently the nation’s largest spine Registry, into a more far-reaching program that facilitates the participation of all North American spine surgeons in a shared, quality data-collection platform.