PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures)

Many healthcare systems now require documentation of a completed PROM before pre-authorization for partial and total knee replacements. This means that patients who do not have a PROM on file for insurance review could have their surgery denied or significantly delayed. The same documentation applies to hemi- and total hip replacements.

Patients at Florida Orthopaedic Institute are already completing PROMs as part of a convenient online check-in process ahead of office visits. PROMs are sent out via text and email for patients who are scheduled for surgery.

Florida Orthopaedic Institute is leading the way in orthopaedic surgery and helping patients seamlessly navigate insurance industry changes.

ABOUT PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES MEASURES (PROMS)

What are PROMs?

PROMs are questions that patients answer that tell their healthcare provider how an injury affects their lives. Since an injury can affect a person in many ways, these questions cover several topics (general and disease-specific physical health, mental health, social activities, etc.).

What makes PROMs different from other questions or scores that a doctor might ask?

Instead of the doctor asking the patient questions or scoring them, PROMs are asked directly to the patient, typically before seeing the doctor. PROM scores have been shown to be better at predicting how a patient will recover after treatment or surgery. PROMs also allow the doctor to monitor how a patient is doing over time more accurately.

Why did FOI introduce PROMs into the practice?

PROMs are part of a movement called ‘patient-centered care’. Patients do better when more information is collected about how they experience the injury and when they are more involved in their own care.

For example, if you hurt your knee, your doctor might look at your range of motion (“How far can you move your lower leg?”) as part of the evaluation of how hurt your knee is. But the range of motion in a knee does not necessarily fully capture how difficult it is for you to take a walk, climb stairs, or bend down to pick something up when you are at home. PROMs capture this information.

With FOI’s knee-injury specific PROM (KOOS JR – Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score for Joint Replacement), patients answer questions about these kinds of activities and get a score from 0-100%. The score summarizes exactly how badly the injured knee affects their life and ability to do what they want to do. Some patients have reported that answering these questions also made it easier to talk to their doctor about specific activities that are difficult.

How do patients fill out PROMs?

When patients register, they are typically sent an email or text message to complete their paperwork prior to their appointment. PROMs are automatically included in that same packet. Patients who have not completed their PROMs before they arrive can complete them on a tablet during check-in.