The Force Therapeutics team was privileged to again attend this year’s American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) 2024 annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. We connected with many of our partner care organizations as they shared their knowledge with peers and presented high-impact posters, podiums, lectures, and business sessions on the biggest issues and advancements impacting orthopedic care today.
Beyond various educational and networking events, our team also gained a great deal of insight by hearing from the orthopedic care community. Below is a brief list of some of the most important trends that were top of mind among attendees at AAHKS 2024:
- The total hip/knee arthroplasty patient-reported outcome performance measure (THA/TKA PRO-PM) remains a big topic of discussion. Given that surgeons are typically not involved in the everyday tasks of PROMs collection (and many are not even aware of this PRO-PM), hospital administrators are finding it critical to be educated on this mandate and the penalties entailed, empowering them to guide their organizations through the different approaches toward achieving compliance.
- Nearly all hospitals are currently struggling to meet the 50% 1Y matched PROMs requirement for the THA/TKA PRO-PM, irrespective of size and resources. A majority of these organizations spoke about relying on FTEs to manually collect PROMs in-clinic via tablets, or remotely via phone or EHR gateway access, and these approaches alone are not cutting it.
- The substantial clinical benefit (SCB) threshold used in the THA/TKA PRO-PM is a relatively new measure that many in the orthopedic community are not familiar with, given most have been tracking a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) threshold instead. As this SCB becomes more important for hospital operations, orthopedic societies are utilizing more resources to educate the community. Nonetheless, given SCB is a more stringent threshold than MCID, it is likely that we will hear some confusion surrounding the relevance of this threshold and how to maximize the volume of patients meeting it.
- The new Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) is poorly understood currently, with those who have been involved in previous bundled payment models having a greater understanding. With most hospitals focused on complying with the THA/TKA PRO-PM at this time, focus on TEAM remains somewhat low. It is anticipated that strategic focus on TEAM will increase in 2025 as hospitals ramp up their preparations for a January 2026 mandate go-live.
- Rural and safety net hospitals have difficulties with digital care technologies because a large portion of their patients have network connectivity or broadband access challenges, so access and equity represent a serious barrier for these organizations. Many administrators at such hospitals are concerned by the pressure that TEAM will place on their finances, with some worried that these hospitals will soon not be able to offer more costly elective procedures, such as those included in TEAM.
- Pre-operative optimization is a central component of financial success for ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). Considering the very short amount of time that patients are physically present in these care settings, ensuring patient preparedness and education before surgery is critical to an efficient and high-quality episode of care. Moreover, pre-op optimization reimbursement incentivizes behaviors that are associated with high-quality outcomes and efficient workflows, and they also represent an opportunity for added revenue for orthopedic surgeons and surgical centers.
Navigating the complexities of PRO-PMs and TEAM and related measures like SCB is a challenge for hospitals and surgeons alike. However, with the right approach—investing in technology, understanding new regulations, and optimizing workflows—healthcare providers can improve both patient outcomes and financial performance. Surgeons and hospital administrators must work together to stay informed, invest wisely, and leverage all available resources to meet the evolving demands of value-based care.
As CMS continues to ramp up its focus on quality data and patient outcomes, being proactive about PROMs compliance and pre-op optimization will be key to staying competitive in the rapidly changing healthcare landscape. By embracing these changes, hospitals can continue to provide top-tier care while positioning themselves for long-term success.
We are happy to have been able to take part in this event once again, and we look forward to contributing to the ongoing conversation about the future of orthopedic care.
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