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AUA Quality Registry (AQUA) Launches Pilot First Patient-Reported Outcome Portal Site

Linthicum, MD, November 7, 2016-The American Urological Association (AUA) today announced that Urology of Indiana, one of the earliest participants in the AUA Quality (AQUA) Registry, will be the first site to offer a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) portal. Drs. Ronald Suh, Scott Farnham and David Hollensbe will participate in this initiative, which is designed to use direct patient feedback responses on validated questionnaires, to help physicians more effectively inform patients about what to expect during and after treatment, to gauge treatment options based on previous results and to compare results across treatments and contexts.

The PRO portal is embedded within the AQUA Registry, which will allow physicians to compare processes of care and patient outcomes at the regional and national levels.

As part of their participation in the PRO portal, newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients will be asked to complete a series of web-based surveys throughout the diagnosis and treatment continuum during and after their treatment. The questionnaires, including the EPIC-26, IPSS, and SHIM, are the "gold standards" for PRO assessment, with questions addressing a number of concerns, including levels of fatigue, pain, depression and overall treatment satisfaction. The survey will also include questions about urinary, sexual, bowel and hormonal function, as well as overall satisfaction.

"Feedback is a critical part of the physician-patient relationship and tools like the AQUA PRO Portal will help the urology community share this information to better inform patient care both in our own practice and across the country," Dr. Suh said. "We are excited to be the first practice to implement the portal."

Urology of Indiana began recruiting patients for the PRO portal in late October.

"We have known for 20 years that by far the best way to collect information on quality of life is to query patients directly using validated PRO questionnaires,&quot, said Dr. Matthew Cooperberg, Senior Physician Advisor for the AQUA Registry. &quot,With this new PRO portal, we will move PRO collection from an academic-only effort to a critical aspect of real world practice. Urology will be perhaps the first specialty in the country to accomplish this, and we are very excited to expand to additional AQUA Registry practices in the near future."

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Expert spokespeople are available to discuss this story. Please contact the Communications Office at 410-689-3932 for more information or to arrange an interview.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Contact:
Wendy Isett, AUA
410-689-3789
wisett@auanet.org