Mandatory CMS Reporting of PROs in THA/TKA

CMS is introducing mandatory collection and reporting of Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) for all inpatient THA and TKA surgeries. The Clinician is a global leader in PRO implementation with a CMS compliant solution that is ready to deploy and cost effective for orthopaedic clinics.

If you need a solution to manage PRO collection and stay ahead of CMS’s reporting mandate, click the button to get in touch.

Understanding what CMS’s mandate means for you

A new mandatory PRO performance measure for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthorplasty (TKA) has been introduced by CMS [1]. Starting this year with voluntary reporting, you will need a complete data set for at least 50% of eligible patients or risk substantial financial penalties.

If PRO collection isn’t already embedded into your clinical workflows or you are looking to minimise collection burden through automation, The Clinician can help you bring systematic PRO collection to life.

[1] Plate, J. F., Deen, J. T., Deans, C. F., Pour, A. E., Yates, A. J., & Sterling, R. S. (2024). Implementation of the New Medicare-Mandated Patient-Reported Outcomes After Joint Arthroplasty Performance Measure. The Journal of arthroplasty, S0883-5403(24)00062-7. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2024.01.038

The Clinician - a simple, efficient, affordable PRO solution

The Clinician is a global leader in the implementation of PROs with a purpose-built platform that enables hospitals to automate data collection, streamline reporting and integrate PROs into existing workflows.

Automate collection & reporting
of PRO data as per the CMS mandate to minimize administrative burden

Maximize PRO response rates with
an intuitive app that engages
patients where they are

For many organizations, implementing PROs is new and deciding on what approach to take with implementation can be a challenge.

Fortunately, by working with organizations like The Clinician who help providers implement PROs for a living, you can replace many manual and burdensome processes with technology and specialist expertise.

What we have observed is that when a provider undertakes ‘manual’ PRO collection and reporting, it is most often a nurse practitioner and/or administrators who have to manage this within their existing schedule. This is costly and cannot be done simply in large volumes.

Here we have laid out a simple scenario highlighting the potential costs savings of replacing the time of 2-3 internal staff (typically an administrator, a nurse and a data analyst) with a partner like The Clinician, who can manage implementation and automate data collection.

Seamlessly integrate PROs with existing clinical data from the EMR to generate new patient insights

Building the business case for a PRO solution

How our THA/TKA solution works

The Clinician is a trusted partner in PRO implementation

Working with healthcare organisations in more than 7 countries, we create meaningful partnerships and design scalable PRO programs that seamlessly fit into existing workflows. We also adhere to the most stringent data privacy, security and interoperability standards internationally.

Product FAQs

Technical FAQs

Implementation FAQs

  • Yes, The Clinician platform offers multiple ways for a patient to complete a survey including via QR code within the hospital or via SMS/Email.

  • Yes, our platform produces links which are unique to each patient. These links can be transformed into QR codes and embedded into patient handouts or emails. Once the QR code is scanned, patients will be redirected to the Patient App in a secure manner. Note that QR codes are unable to be included in SMS messages.

    QR codes are also able to be presented via the Provider Portal, the clinician-facing interface, typically in a managed, clinical environment. Each QR code is specific to a patient and their touchpoint therefore, clinicians or healthcare staff can display the QR code on a tablet for the specific patient to complete their surveys.

  • Yes, the platform uses digital touchpoints called milestones to deliver surveys or content to patients. These milestones can be customized to be scheduled at specified times, conditionally appear based on specific activities, or manually added when necessary for the patient.

  • Yes, we can automatically send reminders to patients if a milestone (containing surveys) is not complete. The timing of the reminders can be customized with the customer. Additionally, manual reminders can also be built to provide administrators the option to send reminders when needed.

  • Our platform has an alerting system that is built based on the customer’s needs. The platform will trigger an event based on a specific response from a survey, completion of an activity, or lack of completion. Once an event is triggered, our platform can perform four activities:

    1. Send an alert. This can be to a specific individual, team, or back to the patient. For example, notifying that a concerning result has been submitted.

    2. Await manual intervention. An alert will need to be manually viewed and resolved on the dashboard by a member of the clinical team.

    3. Change patient journey. The Clinician platform can automatically change a patient’s journey within the program. For example, a patient indicates they have a concerning symptom. Our platform will shift the patient from a monthly monitoring pathway to a daily monitoring pathway

    4. Add activity. The Clinician can automatically add an activity in the patient’s journey. For example, a patient indicates poor understanding of their health. We will add educational content to the patient’s pathway to supplement their understanding.

    These alerts will also be summarized in a central dashboard in real-time.

  • Yes, alongside HIPAA, The Clinician is also compliant with ISO 27001, ISO 9001 standards and GDPR (2023/24) regulations.

  • The system is hosted on AWS virtual machines which are located in North Carolina.

  • Yes, our platform uses cloud-based data storage, hosted on AWS. Alternatively, The Clinician can also host a part of the platform on the customer’s premise as a hybrid solution.

  • Yes, The Clinician follows HL7/FHIR interoperability standards which allows the seamless exchange of health data. This means we can integrate with EMRs (e.g. Allscripts, Epic, Cerner), PAS/ADT, Integration Engines, etc. We can also manage data exports into data warehouses, connections to an Active Directory, and ITSM software. For all integration work, our team will need to connect with the relevant personnel to do some information sharing and data mapping.

  • Typically the implementation journey takes 6 - 12 weeks, depending on the journey required. However, for the CMS THA/TKA PRO-PM program, ZEDOC has pre-built the pathway which significantly reduces the implementation time to 2 - 4 weeks, providing customer availability and response times.

    The Clinician Project Team will then work with the customer to identify additional details that can be customized in the pathway. For example, content of notifications, organization logo, patient-facing FAQ information, and so on.

Have any questions or want to see the solution?

Provide your email and we will be in touch to share more information.

info@theclinician.com