Building on success and focused on the future

Reg-ent^SM

Metrics of success

Now in its third year, the Reg-ent registry is solidly positioned as the only national otolaryngology-head and neck surgery-specific data repository, one that is solely focused on the specialty of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, its physicians, and its patients. After a successful first phase of development (CMS quality reporting), Reg-ent is now beginning additional phases of registry development, including research and data analytics. With close to seven million unique patients and over 12 million total patient encounters collected to date, Reg-ent is ready to support research in the specialty. The patient data in Reg-ent will continue to grow exponentially as more practices participate and contribute data—growth that has been accelerated by recent positive electronic health record (EHR) vendor developments that have opened the doors to more physicians utilizing EPIC and Cerner EHR systems from the academic and health system communities.

As Reg-ent prepares to expand its capabilities into research and data analytics, which will benefit all members regardless of practice setting, it continues to recognize the value of CMS quality reporting to many of our members and their practices. Over the past year, participating sites have increased engagement with Reg-ent and their data, with approximately 1,100 clinicians using Reg-ent to report some or all three categories of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for the 2018 performance year (an increase from 120 clinicians reporting in Reg-ent’s first year, 2016, and 700 in 2017).

Now, more than ever, Reg-ent participants engage with their data, connect with one another via the annual Reg-ent Users Conference at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience, and are involved in mapping refinement and data validation of Reg-ent performance measures, which includes 22 otolaryngology-specific measures designed by and for AAO-HNS members and available only in Reg-ent. (For additional information on the quality measures in Reg-ent, please see the article on page 23.)

Reg-ent participants are also committed to the success of the registry, which is evidenced by Reg-ent’s renewal rate of 80 percent in 2019, with many renewing practices adding more clinicians to their accounts and, in turn, the registry. This commitment to the registry—and to the future of the specialty—is exemplified by the continued participation of existing practices and in Reg-ent’s strong growth as new practices and new academic medical centers enroll.

EHR progress moves Reg-ent sites forward

Over the past year, positive results have been achieved with several EHR vendors, including Epic, eClinicalWorks, and Cerner, that had previously presented challenges in securing data for Reg-ent and other registries supported by FIGmd. With solutions now in place for capturing data from these EHR vendors, physicians and practices are now able to contribute their data electronically to Reg-ent.

With the launch of FIGmd’s Registry Practice Connector (RPC) through the Epic app Orchard and the subsequent successful pilot with several Reg-ent sites, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, academic medical centers are beginning the process for contributing their data to Reg-ent. In addition to the success with Epic, FIGmd has established data integration processes with Cerner, opening the doors for registry participation to academic sites with this EHR.

The University of Mississippi was the first academic site to integrate with the Reg-ent registry using the Epic app, which streamlines data integration via an Epic-approved solution. Oregon Health and Science University is close to full integration, and the University of Utah and Baylor University are beginning the integration process. Reg-ent is thrilled to be bringing these institutions on board, along with others that joined Reg-ent only to experience challenges in securing and contributing data. New academic medical center participants are joining Reg-ent at a record pace and include Temple University and Thomas Jefferson University, both on Epic. Reg-ent is also making progress with Cerner sites, which include several academic institutions. To learn more about the Epic app, visit https://www.entnet.org/Epic-and-Reg-ent.

The launch of the eClinicalWorks ELIXIR program, a data push solution for cloud-hosted eClinicalWorks practices, allows practices and providers previously unable to integrate with Reg-ent the ability to electronically contribute their data to the registry. Since the launch of this solution in early 2019, the Reg-ent team has been engaging with these impacted practices (over 20 in total, with almost 70 providers). Bringing these practices on board, along with new cloud-hosted eClinicalWorks sites, allows additional otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons to contribute data to Reg-ent, increasing the power of the data in registry. To learn more about the eClinicalWorks ELIXIR program and Reg-ent, visit https://www.entnet.org/eClinicalWorks-and-Reg-ent.

Increasing the value of Reg-ent

Building on these significant achievements, Reg-ent is now entering its next phase of development, data analytics and research, all while continuing to support members with their reporting needs.

Research-focused policies and procedures are being finalized that will guide potential investigators through the process and will prioritize research data requests. Potential technology partners are being identified to support advanced data analytics that will allow for enhanced natural language processing capabilities and ease clinical trial participation for Reg-ent’s participating physicians.

As Reg-ent grows into this next phase of its development, it will continue to increase the value of the registry for its participants and to the specialty of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery—value that began with the foundation of MIPS reporting and specialty-based measures and is now increasing with these expanded capabilities.

We encourage all members to participate in Reg-ent, the most significant quality improvement initiative of the AAO-HNSF. Through participation in Reg-ent and contribution of data to the registry, members are individually and collectively impacting the future of the specialty in a positive and invaluable way. For more information on Reg-ent and assistance with either joining or renewing, please email reg-ent@entnet.org or visit www.reg-ent.org.