Medicare payments for lower extremity joint replacement care fell by 3.3% among participating hospitals compared to a control group in the first year of a bundled payment pilot program, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Quality of care was maintained in both settings, the federal health insurer said.
CMS required all hospitals in 67 geographic areas to participate in the five-year “Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement” (CJR) program aimed at lowering healthcare costs and improving outcomes. The program went into effect in January 2016 and bundles payments for hip and knee replacements from hospital admission to 90 days after discharge.
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