Predicting Surgical Outcomes Before they Happen: Unlocking the Power of PROMs

How PROMs Can Predict Surgical Success

In this week's edition of The Value Shift, we review a clinical study conducted by Dr. Eric Makhni (CEO and Co-Founder of Protera Health) and colleagues at Henry Ford Health System on predicting outcomes after meniscus surgery using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs).

Key Takeaways:

• The study analyzed over 160 patients undergoing meniscus surgery.
• Researchers determined the Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) for meaningful improvement in PROMIS scores related to: physical function, pain interference, and depression
• Patients who started with lower function or higher pain interference scores had a higher chance of significant improvement post-surgery.
• Smoking status also played a role—never-smokers showed greater improvements than current or former smokers.
• The findings challenge common assumptions, showing that worse preoperative states often correlate with better postoperative improvements.

These insights have major implications for patient counseling and treatment planning. By leveraging PROMs, clinicians can better predict outcomes and guide patients toward the best treatment path.

How We Can Help

Protera Health is the country’s leading Upstream Utilization Management company for musculoskeletal conditions. We help health plans lower costs while improving member health outcomes and satisfaction ratings.

If your health plan is ready to shift utilization management upstream, please schedule a demo with our team or sign up for our mailing list to receive exclusive content and event invitations.

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