American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Registry Program to Collect COVID-19 Data

Effective immediately, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Registry Program will begin collecting COVID-19 data through the capture of the ICD-10 code for COVID-19 confirmed diagnosis, U07.1. The new code is enabled across each of the AAOS registries, including: the American Joint Replacement Registry, the world’s largest national registry of hip and knee joint replacement data by annual procedural count; the Shoulder & Elbow Registry; the Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry, and the American Spine Registry, a collaborative effort between the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the AAOS. 

WHY NOW?
The AAOS has taken swift action to understand COVID-19’s current and future impact on musculoskeletal care. With more than 1.97 million procedures across four registries, the AAOS Registry Program already collects clinical data to support orthopaedic surgeons, hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in providing the highest quality musculoskeletal care. Now more than ever, it is critical to collect data that will provide additional insights on the quality of care and outcomes of orthopaedic patients in the COVID-19 environment.  

WHAT WILL THE DATA REVEAL?
By adding the ICD-10 code to the AAOS Registry Program, sites who contribute the data will have the ability to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on patients undergoing future joint replacement procedures. Tracking COVID-19 data 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 CMS value-based payment models and coverage for patients recovering from COVID-19. On a broader scale, long-term data from the registries may allow for future insights into COVID-19 and its impact on clinical outcomes.

Key learnings from the AAOS’ Registry Program will be delivered to participants, the orthopaedic community, and the broader public throughout the coming years.

HOW ARE CURRENT AND NEW REGISTRY PARTICIPANTS IMPACTED?
Hospitals, health care systems, practice groups, and ASCs already participating in the registries 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.

Participants who have questions about submitting the new code can reach out to AAOS Registry Support at RegistrySupport@aaos.org for assistance. To enroll in a registry, contact an AAOS Registry engagement associate via email RegistryEngagement@aaos.org or phone 847-292-0530.

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