Memorial Medical Center Becomes a Member of the American Joint Replacement Registry
Thursday, April 3rd, 2014 -- 11:57 AM
-In its continuing mission to provide the best patient care possible, Memorial Medical Center announced recently that it has become a member of the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), an independent, not-for-profit database designed to store comprehensive data about joint replacement procedures and to help physicians and artificial joint manufacturers improve the experiences of patients who undergo joint replacement surgery.More than a million hip and knee replacements are performed each year in the U.S., a number that is expected to increase as more and more men and women remain active as they get older. The lion?s share of replacement surgeries are successful, offering patients years of trouble-free use and helping patients resume their regular activities of daily living. But a few patients ? about 7.5%, according to 2006 figures ? experience problems following surgery that require the artificial joint to be replaced. Memorial Medical Center has always been committed to ensuring its joint replacement patients have the best experiences possible, and now, the hospital has taken an added step toward improving patient experiences by joining the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), an independent, not-for-profit database designed to store comprehensive data about joint replacement procedures.
?Joining the AJRR will help ensure that we can continue to provide patients with the best care possible,? stated Ryan Neville, Memorial Medical Center?s CEO. ?By participating with other hospitals in sharing information about artificial joint performance and physician and patient experiences, we can help joint replacement procedures become safer nationwide, while optimizing our own patients? experiences here at Memorial Medical Center.?
The AJRR serves as a central clearinghouse for information about joint replacements performed at MMC and other member hospitals and medical centers throughout the country that participate in the registry. The AJRR aims to carefully monitor the artificial joint throughout a recipient?s lifetime in a database containing information about the patient, the surgeon who performed the procedure and the hospital or medical center where the procedure took place. The data collected will help doctors more quickly identify joints that are performing poorly, and will help them match patients, procedures and devices to ensure that every patient has the best experience possible.
By offering a single source of data, doctors and other healthcare professionals who use the registry can easily access data from medical centers around the country and use that information to help them make more informed recommendations to their patients, ultimately improving patient care. Registry information about patient outcomes and experiences will also help artificial joint manufacturers improve their products and identify potentially faulty products, and can help reduce healthcare costs associated with replacement procedures and follow-up care. All data collected by the AJRR remains confidential to protect patient privacy.
?Registries for joint replacement procedures and other medical procedures and conditions have proven to be effective tools in improving patient outcomes and reducing complications that can occur both during and following surgical procedures,? said William J. Maloney, M.D., chairman of the AJRR Board of Directors. ?In fact, in countries where registries have been created and used, revision rates have decreased significantly, resulting in substantial cost savings and a better overall patient experience.?
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