Getting Started
Who is eligible to enroll?
Does AOA monitor the way the program is
implemented?
Why is there an annual subscription fee to
participate in the program?
What does a site receive with the participation
fee?
We already have an osteoporosis program, why
should we participate?
Staffing
Is this program just for orthopaedic
surgeons?
What staff is needed to run the program?
How many hours does it take?
Can a nurse practitioner charge for his/her
services?
Own the Data and Protocol
Is Own the Bone considered a research
project? Who will have access to the data?
Does Own the Bone suggest which pharmacotherapy
physicians should prescribe?
Do sites need to follow up with patients?
Does Own the Bone meet any Joint Commission
standards?
Registry Operations
Can I customize the data registry and add
or delete fields?
Is the Registry compatible with Electronic
Medical Record Systems?
Information Technology/Software
What are the Information Technology (IT)
requirements? Do we need to purchase any special
software?
What type of platform runs the registry?
Institutional Review Board/HIPAA
Is an IRB required to participate?
Is the registry HIPAA Compliant?
Who is eligible to
enroll?
Hospitals or clinics in the United States are eligible to enroll in
Own the Bone.
Does AOA monitor
the way the program is implemented?
No. Own the Bone is a tool. Patients can be identified
for the program in a variety of ways. However they are identified,
it is the responsibility of the implementing site's program
coordinator to ensure the patient receives the interventions
recommended in the program.
Why is there an
annual subscription fee to participate in the
program?
The annual subscription fee paid by sites helps to support the
costs of hosting and verifying the registry data by an external
service provider, and ensures the sustainability of the
program. The cost per single site is $2,000/year.
Systems enrolling multiple hospitals receive discounts and AOA
encourages system participation. The yearly fee is not
intended to be an obstacle for any hospital interested in
implementing Own the Bone and the AOA is active in helping sites to
find solutions so that they can use the program.
What does a site
receive with the participation fee?
Subscribers are provided with many benefits. Some of the benefits
are listed below:
- Comprehensive start-up materials to help simplify the
implementation of the program (available both in hard copy and
online through a secure, subscriber-only section)
- Access to a national Web-based registry, with reporting and
benchmarking capabilities
- Best practice library
- Patient education tools
- Physician education tools
- System generated Patient and Physician letters documenting the
patient's risk factors
- Public relations tools (press release/communication templates
and access to a "participating member" logo)
- Recognition in major national media for sites that are
successfully implementing the program and documenting their
improved patient care
- Web-based training
- Ongoing best-practice sharing
- E-newsletters
We already have an
osteoporosis program, why should we participate?
Own the Bone gives you the opportunity to enhance your current
efforts by including your data in a national registry and enabling
your institution to benchmark its performance against other
participants. Own the Bone sites are recognized in a variety
of national media outlets for their commitment to improving patient
care in bone health.
Is this program
just for orthopaedic surgeons?
No. While developed by the American Orthopaedic Association,
Own the Bone encourages a multi-specialty approach to manage/treat
patients' underlying bone health after a fracture. A
physician or nurse from any specialty can "champion" the program
within an institution. AOA believes that since orthopaedic surgeons
are quite often the initial treating physician for patients with
fragility fractures they have a role to play in these patients'
underlying bone health. Research has shown that the
orthopaedic surgeon has the opportunity to have what is called a
"teachable moment" with a patient who has recently experienced a
fragility fracture: if the healthcare provider suggests to
the patient that it is important that he/she takes steps to improve
his/her bone health and understands he/she has had this "Bone
Attack," the patient is more apt to be compliant with care and
prevention protocols. While an orthopaedic surgeon might not
necessarily be the physician to follow the patient long-term, AOA
believes that orthopaedic surgeons should be a part of the
multi-specialty care of a patient.
What staff is
needed to run the program? How many hours does it
take?
A best practice from the pilot study is to designate a
coordinator for the program, such as a nurse practitioner.
This person doesn't necessarily have to be a new employee or a FTE;
in fact, some hospitals report that only a few hours a week are
required. Hospitals implementing the program report that data
entry per patient takes only 3-4 minutes. Own the Bone
subscribers are provided with a Case Report Form to simplify data
collection, allowing users to enter data into the registry at a
convenient time.
Can a nurse
practitioner charge for his/her services?
Fee for service reimbursement depends on the services being
provided and varies according to your institution's policies.
Osteoporosis
Reimbursement Policy for Healthcare Professionals is provided
to Own the Bone program subscribers as a reference guide.
Is Own the Bone considered
a research project? Who will have access to the
data?
Own the Bone is designed as a quality improvement program.
Through the online registry, each participating site will have
access to the data through system generated reports. Reports will
show performance against each measure in the Own the Bone
Protocol. Sites will also be able to access internal and
external benchmarking reports to compare their own results against
aggregate results of all sites participating in the program.
Does Own the Bone suggest
which pharmacotherapy physicians should prescribe?
No. The Own the Bone Protocol does not recommend specific
pharmacologic treatment. Own the Bone follows the National
Osteoporosis Foundation's Guidelines
and highlights when patients should be considered for pharmacologic
treatment. The decision regarding which drug is most
appropriate must be made as part of the physician-patient
relationship.
Do sites need to follow up
with patients?
The Own the Bone program recommends that sites follow-up with
patients entered in Own the Bone. This step, however, is
optional.
Does Own the Bone meet any
Joint Commission standards?
The Joint Commission does not currently accredit hospitals for
osteoporosis or fragility fracture care. However, in 2008,
the Joint Commission released a study called Improving and Measuring Osteoporosis
Management
Own the Bone is highlighted in the report. There are
current efforts to encourage the addition of these Joint Commission
measures to their accreditation process; consequently, Own the Bone
is ahead of the curve.
Can I customize
the data registry and add or delete fields?
No. The data registry cannot be customized for individual
sites. The registry is designed as a tool to help sites
change and document the way patient care is provided. A site
can opt not to collect certain data fields if desired. Doing
so will be reflected in the reports generated.
Is the Registry
compatible with Electronic Medical Record Systems?
Not at the present time. Some sites utilize a checkmark within
their EMR system to indicate that a patient's data is contained
within Own the Bone registry.
What are the Information
Technology (IT) requirements? Do we need to purchase any special
software?
Own the Bone is Web-based. As such, users only need to have
access to an Internet connection and a current browser (IE,
Firefox, Opera, etc.). There is no software to buy or
install.
What type of platform runs
the registry?
AOA has contracted with Clinipace to build the registry within an
existing framework. Clinipace's registry system is called
Tempo®. Tempo® is a workflow engine built using J2EE and the
data is stored in an Oracle database.
Is an IRB required to
participate?
Own the Bone is a quality improvement program; as such, it may not
be subject to a full IRB. However, participating sites have
sole responsibility to obtain any internal approvals necessary for
participation in the Program, including any Institutional Review
Board ("IRB") approval or waiver. For more
information, download Own the Bone & IRB.
Is the registry HIPAA
Compliant?
The OTB registry constitutes a Limited Data Set
under HIPAA requirements. The only elements of potentially
identifiable Protected Health Information included are date
elements and patient ages.
