Urology association to launch clinical data registry

The American Urological Association will launch the first national urology clinical data registry next year.

The AUA Quality Registry is designed to measure and report healthcare quality and patient outcomes and provide data that can be used to identify trends related to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Though the registry will first deal with only prostate cancer, it will eventually expand to address patterns and outcomes for other urological conditions.

“The AUA AQUA Registry will be a powerful tool for urologists to observe the course of a disease, understand variations in treatment and outcomes, and examine factors influencing prognosis and quality of life,” Dr. Gopal Badlani, AUA secretary, said in a news release. “It can also help urologists describe patient care patterns, monitor safety and harm and enable them to review and compare data with their peers.”

Urologists who participate in the registry will receive feedback on their performance at both the individual and practice levels, using the registry's data as a regional and national benchmark for comparison, and will also be kept informed about their adherence to AUA clinical guidelines. Doing so will help assist with the CMS' Physician Quality Reporting System and certification requirements and will allow physicians to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in the care they offer.

The registry system will also allow patients to self-report on their quality of life outcomes after diagnosis with prostate cancer so shared information can be used to help patients and physicians make better decisions based on similar patient experiences.

“Both physicians and patients will benefit from the AQUA Registry inclusion of patient-reported outcomes that have, for the most part, been a void in registries to date,” Dr. J. Quentin Clemens, chair of the AUA data committee, said in the release. “These outcomes are recognized as the most appropriate instruments to assess the effectiveness of healthcare interventions from the patient's perspective.”

The AUA AQUA Registry, which has been in development for nearly five years, will be phased in over a two-year period as more practices and functions are added and the scope is increased. The design phase will launch at the beginning of next year with the pilot phase starting in July 2014.

Follow Rachel Landen on Twitter: @MHrlanden