The North American Spine Society launched a web-based spine registry that tracks patient care and outcomes.
Here are six things to know:
1. The registry is diagnosis-specific and includes de-identified data for operative and non-operative treatment solutions. NASS initially implemented the pilot program eight years ago and has since made an effort to minimize barriers to participation, including cost, privacy concerns, administrative burden and institutional review board participation.
2. The multidisciplinary registry allows spine care providers and allied health professionals to participate. Organizations do not have to purchase software or dedicate a coordinator to become a member.
3. The first participant at a site costs $3,250 per year and each subsequent participant from the practice is $300 per year. The cost is consistent for solo practitioners as well as large health systems.
4. The registry participants receive confidential feedback on patient care and will have reports benchmarking them against their peers in de-identified, aggregate data. Participants can also download real-time reports on data that include demographics, diagnoses, treatment, complications and patient-reported outcomes.
5. The registry's data vendor is Ortech Systems and each participant owns its own data; NASS owns the aggregate de-identified data.
6. The registry currently focuses on patients 18 years and older treated for conditions such as low back pain, disc herniation and lumbar stenosis.
"In order to prove or disprove the effectiveness of spine treatments, the spine field needs to gather evidence," said Zoher Ghogawala, MD, NASS Research Council director. "With its national reach and comprehensive nature, the NASS Spine Registry will help the spine care field make substantial progress on improving quality, developing best practices and closing the gaps in medical evidence for spine care."