Last week during the AAOS’ NOLC meeting in Washington, DC, the BOC/BOS Resolutions Committee, Brian S. Parsley, MD, and AAHKS members reviewed and edited the “Public Performance Measures for Orthopaedic Surgeon” advisory opinion. The following day, this resolution was approved:
A. Resolved, that the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) will work with the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and others to develop a uniform, standardized system for the public reporting of performance outcomes for physicians and hospitals, such systems to include consideration of
a. Orthopaedic-specific risk factors;
b. General medical co-morbidities; and
c. The patient’s socio-economic and other demographic factors
The risk factors to be included must be evidence-based, valid, reliable and readily implemented in such a way as to not be a substantial burden on orthopaedic surgeons.
B. Resolved, that the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) will strongly encourage orthopaedic surgeons to include orthopaedic-specific risk factors, patient socio-economic and other demographic information in their standard coding practices when more readily available.
C. Resolved, that the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) will advocate for delay of payment policy adjustments and of physician public performance reporting policy until risk adjustment factors have been implemented.
