“Bundles cut spending on joint replacements, but not for other conditions,” by Harris Mayer, Modern Healthcare

 

 

Quote:

“Medicare’s voluntary bundled-payment program for hip and knee replacements reduced spending by 1.6% from 2013 to 2016 — less than previously estimated — with no overall change in quality, according to a new study in Health Affairs. Another new Health Affairs study reported that lower extremity joint replacement is the only type of clinical episode in Medicare bundled-payment programs that has produced savings so far. The meta-analysis found no evidence of reduced spending or quality improvement for other clinical episodes.”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

We’ve been very dubious about bundled care and value-based reimbursement. Patients and physicians should define and measure quality, not bureaucrats. These studies bear out our skepticism.