Rapid developments in spine surgery and the health system being challenged with diminishing resources require outcome research and quality control. Clinical registers are increasingly gaining significance as evaluation and outcome tools. The German Spine Society (Deutsche Wirbelsäulengesellschaft - DWG) has recognised the necessity of a register for spine surgery. Within this project, OFFIS has the task of establishing a German spine register in collaboration with the DWG. During an initial evaluation phase, OFFIS will be providing the required IT- infrastructure. In this context, OFFIS is responsible for gathering data on surgical processes in the field of spine surgery as well as for providing the support to the register’s customers. OFFIS is accompanying the project under the aspect of healthcare research. The pilot phase started in December 2011.