Note that the Lutron patent never applied to switches ( binary on/off devices). It only applied to dimmers. (Called “Multilevel switches“ in the Zwave command specification.)
Manufacturers could license the Lutron patent for zwave dimmers, and both Leviton and Cooper did. This was implemented in the Z wave specification as the “hail” command, since deprecated but still used.
Method 1 for “instant status
As of 2018, there are two different ways to implement “instant status.“ The first is not simply association, but rather association to the hub. That’s an important distinction because there are devices, such as the Leviton and Cooper local scene controllers, which use association but did not necessarily notify the hub.
Once you get to Z wave plus devices, The whole meaning of association changed and almost all zwave plus certified devices are now required to report status to the “Lifeline Association group.” ( The data required to be reported varies by device class.) See the community FAQ For details:
Method two for instant status
The other method is “central scene commands.“ this works very well, and can be found in both fourth and fifth generation Z wave devices, but is optional and left up to the manufacturer to implement or not. The Homeseer dimmers use this.
So before you run out and start replacing existing devices, note the following:
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the only devices that should be candidates for replacement under this goal would be classic Z wave dimmers that do not support the hail commandset. This will mostly be GE, Enerwave, TKP, and linear. But not Eaton Cooper or Leviton.
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Supporting association is not enough to remove a device that would otherwise be a candidate. It has to be set up so that the hub is in the primary association group. If it’s a Z wave plus device, no problem: this is now mandatory under the specification. But if it’s an older device, it may have implemented association in a group that did not include the hub.
Note that the official entry at the Z wave alliance products site will usually specify not just the command sets supported by a device but the specific associations allowed. That’s what you want to look at to see if association is being used to update status to the hub.
https://products.z-wavealliance.org
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A device that supports central scene commands should not be a candidate for replacement in this group even if it doesn’t support association. Central scene commands in and of themselves are enough to notify the hub.
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In wall micros that are dimmers were not subject to the patent for some really complex technical reasons. However, they typically have a parameter that Has to be changed in order to implement instant status. So you want to make sure that that is set the way you want it to be. If the parameter is not exposed in the official device type handler You can temporarily use the Z wave tweaker, reconfigure the device, The settings will be saved in the device’s firmware, and then you can change back to your regular every day DTH.
If you want to replace your older GE dimmers with newer Z wave plus devices, have at it. 
( i’m really tired today, and I may have skipped a couple of things, but most of these issues have been discussed previously in the forums, including Zwave alliance references and contributions by some smartthings staff, so you can dig those out if you’re interested.)
Any community member can add to the wiki section of the forum, so feel free to add whatever you Think would be helpful.