The Joint Commission determined four new performance measures for its Total Hip and Knee Replacement Certification in collaboration with an advisory panel. Here are five insights:
1. The four THKR measures for certification are Regional Anesthesia; Postoperative Ambulation on the Day of Surgery; Discharged to Home; and Preoperative Functional/Health Status Assessment.
2. As of Jan. 1, The Joint Commission requires programs seeking the disease-specific care certification and ones that are currently certified to collect monthly data on the four measures. Organizations must report the data to The Joint Commission through the Certification Measure Information Process each quarter.
3. The advisory panel consulted included experts in orthopedic surgery, anesthesia, physical therapy, perioperative nursing, social work and more. The Joint Commission considered public input and tested the measures.
4. The Joint Commission created two guides with specifications on the four mandatory measures: one for inpatient implementation, and one for outpatient implementation.
5. CMS reports significant variance in the quality and cost of care for THKR surgeries.