OARA Score

*Compared to ASA Certification: Meneghini, M., Ziemba-Davis, M., Ishmael., Kuzma, A. and Peter Caccavallo. (November 2015). “Safe Selection of Outpatient Joint Replacement Patients with Medical Risk Stratification: The “OARA Score”.” Paper presented at the 2015 AAHKS Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas. Abstract retrieved from http://meeting.aahks.net/wp-content/ uploads/2015/11/paper-45-meneghini.pdf

This Outpatient Arthroplasty Risk Assessment (“OARA”) score is a general guide based on medical co-morbidities and other health factors. The score has been developed to help determine a patient’s likelihood of being able to undergo total hip or total knee replacement as an outpatient with a discharge either the same day or within 24 hours of surgery.

The OARA Score is NOT to be used as the sole method for determining whether a patient is appropriate for hip or knee arthroplasty in the outpatient setting. The OARA score is NOT a predictor of postoperative medical or surgical complications. The OARA Score is NOT a predictor of morbidity or mortality after hip or knee replacement surgery. Further, the OARA score is NOT a predictor of readmission after arthroplasty surgery. The OARA score should be used in conjunction with thorough assessment by the orthopaedic surgeon and perioperative medical experts, in order to determine if patients are appropriate for hip or knee replacement in the outpatient setting. addition, the OARA score does NOT determine whether a surgery should be performed in an ambulatory surgery center or a hospital setting, as this decision resides solely with the individual surgeon familiar with his/her own patient care environment.

The developers of the OARA Score recommend the OARA score be used as part of a comprehensive outpatient surgery program that is multi-disciplinary and focuses on patient safety. Each surgeon must also evaluate his/her own surgical ability and outcomes to determine whether he/she is capable of performing surgery safely in the outpatient setting. Prolonged surgery times, excessive blood loss and/or greater than expected surgical and soft-tissue trauma may diminish the OARA Score’s ability to reliably predict an expedited discharge home. The OARA Score was developed and validated in a model with fellowship-trained hip and knee arthroplasty surgeons who are efficient surgically, have a comprehensive multi-modal pain program, have highly skilled and trained staff for enhanced communication with patients and a robust educational program for patients and family considering arthroplasty surgery in the outpatient setting.

DJO surgical is a manufacturer of orthopedic implants and does not practice medicine. Only an orthopedic surgeon can determine what treatment is appropriate. Individual results of total joint replacement may vary. The life of any implant will depend on the patient’s weight, age, activity level, and other factors.