AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement Recruits Participants for Fifth Arthroscopy Benchmarking Study

WILMETTE, Il. -- The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Institute For Quality Improvement (AAAHC Institute) is recruiting participants for the Fifth Knee Arthroscopy with Meniscectomy benchmarking study. In 1996, almost 250,000 knee arthroscopies were performed; almost 96 percent of these were completed in the ambulatory setting. Payment for this high-volume procedures has been the subject of scrutiny by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, formerly the Health Care Financing Administration [HCFA]).

This study, open to both AAAHC-accredited and non-accredited organizations, will examine: procedure times, preparation, anesthesia, complications, supply/specialty pack use and patient understanding of the procedure, pain control, and satisfaction. This year, new subjects examined include issues such as surgery scheduling time (time from when the patient knows s/he is having the procedure to when the procedure happens).

The benchmarking study allows surgery centers to improve quality and efficiency of care by learning about best practices from each other. For AAAHC-accredited organizations, the study can help organizations fulfill the organization's benchmarking standards.

Organizations that have participated in prior AAAHC Institute knee arthroscopy studies have learned (among other valuable information) of: means of reducing procedure times without compromising (and sometimes improving) outcomes; using different anesthetic techniques and saving time/cost; and, the importance of clear discharge instructions for early mobility.

During the 2003 Knee Arthroscopy with Meniscectomy best practices study, real-time data was collected from 38 ambulatory surgery organizations that volunteered to participate, providing more than 850 cases.

This is one of the few studies on knee arthroscopy that allows national benchmarking, with registration fees set at a cost-conscious price ($400 for AAAHC-accredited organizations; $500 for non-AAAHC accredited organizations) to assist in off-setting some of the costs of conducting the study, including: survey refinement; study registration and materials; data entry, cleaning, and analysis; report writing and production. To obtain a registration form, visit the AAAHC Institute online at www.aaahciqi.org (click under the "Studies" section). The deadline for registering in this study is Monday, May 17, 2004.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care established the AAAHC Institute in 1999 to provide ambulatory healthcare organizations opportunities to participate in clinical performance measurement studies and educational programs. To date, the AAAHC Institute has conducted and published 15 clinical performance measurement studies and has convened a national forum on quality improvement in ambulatory health care annually. Involvement in clinical performance measurement is a signal to patients, government agencies, professional liability insurers, and third-party payors, that an ambulatory health organization is concerned about continually improving the care it provides to its patients.

Source: AAAHC