Daniel Hoeffel, MD, an arthritis and joint reconstruction specialist practicing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, shared his insights on the importance of data collection in outpatient arthroplasty in the latest edition of the ASCA's ASC Physician Focus newsletter.
Here are the insights Dr. Hoeffel shared:
1. As the popularity of total joint arthroplasty increases due to economic and efficiency factors, accurate outcome and processes are needed.
2. Improvement methodologies. Measuring outcomes through standardized care pathways and achieving simple data collection from EHRs and patients should be the goal for outpatient total joint arthroplasty providers.
3. Putting data to work. Once data is collected on outpatient total joint arthroplasty, it should be interpreted and analyzed. The results should also be communicated to the necessary parties, including employees, patients and government agencies. Creating a culture of improvement at an ASC is another facet of putting the data to work.