Patient-reported Outcome Measurement for Patients With Total Knee Arthroplasty

Total knee arthroplasty is a large contributor to Medicare costs. In an effort to lower costs and improve outcomes, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services has implemented the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model, which incentivizes surgeons to submit both general health and joint-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). However, in addition to using PROMs for reporting purposes, surgeons should also consider incorporating PROMs into clinical practice. Currently, PROMs are not widely implemented in the clinical setting despite their value in measuring factors such as patients' expectations and mental state, which impact outcomes. Furthermore, as technology improves, PROM collection will become faster and more efficient. The information collected by PROMs can inform treatment decisions and facilitate communication between the surgeon and the patient.