Strategies and tactics for successful implementation of bundled payments: bundled payment for care improvement at a large, urban, academic medical center

J Arthroplasty. 2015 Mar;30(3):349-50. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2014.12.031. Epub 2015 Jan 23.

Abstract

As health care reform continues to evolve, there will need to be an emphasis on generating value, quality improvement, and cost control. In 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated a new Bundled Payment for Care Improvement initiative. Early results from this CMS bundled payment initiative at an urban, tertiary, academic medical center demonstrate decreased length of stay and increased discharge to home, with decreasing readmission rates, which can result in cost-savings without compromise of the quality of care. Changes in care coordination, clinical care pathways, and evidence-based protocols are the key to improving the quality metrics and cost effectiveness within the implementation of the bundled payment for care initiative, thus bringing increased value to our total joint arthroplasty patients.

Keywords: bundled payment; total joint arthroplasty.

MeSH terms

  • Academic Medical Centers
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement / economics*
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement / standards
  • Health Care Reform / economics
  • Health Care Reform / standards*
  • Humans
  • Medicare / economics*
  • Patient Care Bundles / economics*
  • Quality Improvement
  • United States
  • Urban Population