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AAOS collaborates with The Joint Commission on total hip, knee certification program
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons announced a collaboration with The Joint Commission on total hip and knee replacement certification by incorporating AAOS clinical expertise into standards development and performance measurement requirements.
“The academy continues to make great strides in serving our profession and reaffirming its strategic commitment to provide the highest quality in musculoskeletal care,” David A. Halsey, MD, president of the AAOS, said in a press release. “Last fall, we pledged to create a national family of clinical data registries for a broad range of orthopedic conditions and procedures. We started with the reintegration of the [American Joint Replacement Registry] AJRR into the AAOS as we continue to grow the family of registries. This collaboration with The Joint Commission, and the [total hip and knee replacement] THKR program, is a practical way for us to even better equip orthopedic surgeons to continue to advance the quality of musculoskeletal care.”
According to the release, the AAOS and The Joint Commission will collaborate in overseeing scientific issues, performance measurement, quality improvement activities, education, data sharing and research related to certification, as well as continuing to assess and evaluate quality for the safety and benefit of orthopedic patients.
Not only will the THKR certification address the growing number of patients undergoing total hip or total knee replacement surgeries, the release noted it will also increase focus on clinical evidence-based patient care as it relates to pain management, quality of life issues, functional limitation in mobility and return to normal daily activities. By establishing a consistent approach to care, reducing variation and the risk of error; supporting collaboration of teams across the continuum of care; and demonstrating commitment to a higher standard of clinical service, the THKR certification provides hospitals and ASCs with a framework and pathway for improving patient outcomes.
Organizations must successfully undergo a rigorous onsite review by Joint Commission experts to evaluate compliance with advanced disease-specific care standards, as well as total hip and total knee replacement requirements to receive certification, according to the release.
“Organizations that achieve The Joint Commission’s already rigorous total hip and total knee replacement certification will gain an even stronger foundation for ensuring highly reliable high-quality care and outcomes for their patients through the academy’s collaboration with our program,” David Baker, MD, executive vice president of the division of health care quality evaluation at The Joint Commission, said in the release. “The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons is the world’s preeminent provider of musculoskeletal education, and the close working relationship we will maintain with the AJRR offers powerful opportunities to strengthen our quality measurements and quality improvement activities. Formalizing The Joint Commission’s work with AAOS ensures that our combined expertise will positively affect orthopedic care for years to come.”
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