Legislators Want Artificial Joints Registry Created

TwoDemocratic congressmen have introduced legislation that would create a national registry of artificial joint recipients.

The bill, introduced June 10, would create a government-backed registry to track patients’ results and help detect ineffective surgical practices and faulty devices. Other countries use such a system to monitor patients’ progress with artificial joints, reduce unnecessary surgeries, and detect faulty products.

Co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. BillPascrell of New Jersey and Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the Knee and Hip Replacement Act of 2009 would establish a national registry to collect and analyze data on patients with hip and knee replacements. The registry would be established within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and require the collection of data begin no later than five years after enactment.

“The simple, practical step of registering knee and hip replacement devices ensures not only that patients get the high quality care they deserve, but also that financial gain never stands in the way of healthy outcomes and patient safety,” Doggett said. “By registering these devices, we can detect problems much sooner than we previously were able. This in turn will give patients the peace of mind to know that their knee or hip replacement procedure will not become part of the estimated $700 billion Americans spend every year on procedures that don’t result in better health outcomes.”

AHRQ would work in consultation with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health ITto develop policies and procedures for the registry. The Government Accountability Office would be required to submit a report on the registry to Congress every other year.

Companies that manufacture artificial joints support the idea of a registry but claim a private system would be more effective than one operated by the federal government. Zimmer Holdings, the nation’s largest manufacturer of artificial hips and knees, said in a written statement to The New York Times that it has been discussing the creation of a national registry with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

In a letter sent to Pascrell, the AAOS said it preferred a privately-run registry that included both Medicare and non-Medicare patients. AAOS has tried for more than a decade to set up such a registry but has been unable to secure financing for it. The group and another orthopedic organization recently earmarked $450,000 to pay for start-up funding. Long-term financing for the registry has yet to be secured though, and device manufacturers have not agreed to pay for it, according to Dr.Daniel Berry, chairman of the orthopedics department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Pascrell, however, argued that the orthopedic industry has had more than enough time to create a registry. He also said the legislation would help ensure product safety and reduce “wasteful” health care spending.

“Creating a knee and hip registry is a common sense way to reduce wasteful Medicare spending,” stated Pascrell. “With half of all knee and hip replacements occurring right here in the United States where billions of dollars are lost every year on faulty medical procedures and treatments, it is time that the medical device industry be held accountable for the expensive products they implant in patients. Creating a registry would put a premium on performance and help patients make an educated decision before they enter into a major medical procedure.”