For the first time, data is available from the American Joint Replacement Registry

First data flows from national registry tracking joint replacements (Modern Healthcare)
Hospitals for the first time have access to national data on hip and knee replacement surgeries, which are among the most common surgical procedures performed in the U.S. and require expensive revisions when they fail.
An inaugural report published Friday by the American Joint Replacement Registry—the first national medical procedure registry in the U.S.—will include basic information on roughly 43,000 joint surgeries in 2013. It's a first step toward amassing a pool of information that can help providers j...