Medicare bundled payments

Administration Slows Movement Toward Medicare Quality Payments

The Trump administration is slowing Medicare’s movement toward making greater use of quality in its payment system. The Obama administration’s goal of having 50 percent of Medicare payments made through a quality or alternative payment model by the end of 2018 now appears to be out of sight. Instead, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has partially canceled two bundled payment programs – one for joint replacement and another for cardiac rehabilitation programs – and announced that before introducing new programs it wants to take a closer look at the successes and failures of the alternative payment model programs [...]

admin2018-02-20T10:26:50+00:00February 20, 2018|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare|

CMS Unveils New Bundled Payment Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced the launch of a new bundled payment model called “Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced.” Under this new program – participation in which will be voluntary – participants can, as CMS explains …earn additional payment if all expenditures for a beneficiary’s episode of care are under a spending target that factors in quality. The following are a few highlights of BPCI Advanced. It encompasses 32 types of clinical episodes (29 inpatient and three outpatient). These episodes, of 90 days, may change in the future. Participating providers can waive the Medicare requirement [...]

admin2018-01-11T06:00:30+00:00January 11, 2018|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare|

New Study Finds Bundled Payments Reduces Costs, Improves Care

A new study has concluded that the bundled payments programs being tested by Medicare reduce health care costs while improving the quality of care. The study covered Medicare Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) results for the past four years and includes the Medicare hip and knee replacement bundled care program. And contrary to another recent study, this report did not find any increase in the volume of procedures during the study period. To learn more about the study’s methodology and findings, go here to read “Debunking the Argument that the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Program (BPCI) Contributed to [...]

admin2017-02-16T16:05:06+00:00February 16, 2017|Medicare|

Bundled Payments Reduce Hip, Knee Replacement Costs

Medicare’s bundled payment program for knee and hip replacements is reducing the cost of such treatments, a study has found. According to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine, the Medicare bundled payment program, known as the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program, has driven down the cost of the those joint replacements more than 20 percent or $5500 a case. Most of the savings have been derived through a significant decrease in the use of post-acute care, according to the study. This decrease occurred, moreover, at a time when Medicare spending on joint replacement rose five percent. Learn more [...]

admin2017-01-12T16:35:59+00:00January 12, 2017|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare, Medicare regulations|