Patient-reported outcomes will be one of the main drivers for determination of value. Whether you agree with this approach doesn’t matter… It’s not how great your x-rays look, it’s how the patients feel.
– Douglas Padgett, MD, Hip and Knee Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)
We recently interviewed Douglas Padgett, MD, Hip and Knee Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) about his thoughts on data, how HSS uses its registry, and where he foresees data in orthopaedics in the coming decade.
Ortech: What value do you find in having your own registry?
Dr. Padgett: Registry data allows HSS to make better decisions. We track changes and practice patterns for the individual provider and on a group basis. We also monitor performance of implants as it pertains to outcome measures.
Data analysis has had an impact on clinical quality and indications for surgery. For example, we have discussed whether we should keep using certain bearing materials as well as procedures such as hip resurfacing. Our resurfacing data has shown us that males do better than females, and we have changed clinical practice in an effort to improve outcomes.
Ortech: How do Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) impact your current research?
Dr. Padgett: Right now we are studying devices by different manufacturers. If you are looking at five or six cases, your sample isn’t large enough to produce an accurate and trustworthy comparison. A registry allows us to analyze 14,000 to 16,000 cases – a much more powerful and worthwhile effort. PRO’s are not only useful as a research tool but play a key role in clinical care monitoring the progress of patients.
Ortech: What do you foresee in orthopaedic data over the next 10 years?
Dr. Padgett: Patient-reported outcomes will be one of the main drivers for determination of value. Whether you agree with this approach doesn’t matter. Government payers are going to require you to demonstrate the value of what you’re doing. It’s not how great your x-rays look, it’s how the patients feel.
It’s going to be interesting to see what we use as determinants 10 years from now. We are going to have to deal with the downside to information: we have unlimited information, but limited time. That’s overwhelming to providers. We need to create an environment where we capture and analyze the most useful information – and it has to be easy to obtain, relevant, and achievable for providers to implement.
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We’d like to thank Dr. Padgett for sharing his thoughts with us on orthopaedic data and the value of registries. We are fortunate to have his support and feedback as a long-time client.
We welcome your reactions and questions particularly as you prepare to gather your own patient reported outcomes and to establish your own registry. Contact us here.
