The Role of Clinical Registries in Health Care

The current medical reform environment has signified a new era for health care delivery, physician accountability, and care optimization. In this context, outcomes data become a vital component in establishing the value of surgical care and guiding clinical decisions. Prospective clinical registries represent a possible solution that can collect information in a uniform and standardized fashion. Registry-generated data, which represent real-world clinical care, may be more germane than randomized controlled trials in crafting decision-making and health care policies. Registries provide an opportunity for benchmarking, value-based purchasing, disease characterization, comparative effectiveness research, and stimulation for quality improvement efforts. Given the significant ramifications of health care reform, surgical care needs to be successfully measured and integrated in this changing contour of regulatory landscape. For that purpose, participation in prospective clinical registries provides neurosurgeons with access to risk-adjusted measures of the value and benefits of surgical interventions.