Dive Brief:
- Reps. Tom Price (R-GA) and David Scott (D-GA) introduced a bill that would delay the April 1 implementation date of the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement payment model.
- Under the measure, H.R. 4848, CJR would not go live until Jan. 1, 2018.
- However, the House is currently in recess until April 11.
Dive Insight:
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons praised the move, saying it would ensure providers have time to prepare for the new payment system.
According to the AAOS, hospitals in 67 geographical regions will be affected by the bundled payment model, which targets elective and nonelective hip and knee replacements and other lower-extremity joint replacement procedures and hip fracture repairs.
“The CJR model mandated by CMS requires comprehensive planning and coordination between hospital, physicians, and post-acute care providers, as well as complete infrastructural support,” the AAOS said in a statement.
Forcing CJR participants to begin implementing the model next month could cause widespread startup and integration problems, “making it more difficult to achieve improvements in patient quality of care as well as costs,” the group said.
Under the payment structure, the hospital where the joint replacement is performed will be accountable for the costs and quality of care from the date of the surgery through 90 days post-discharge. CMS has said model will incentivize hospitals to work with physicians, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities and other providers to ensure coordinated care of patients and reduce complications and rehospitalizations.
H.R. 4848, the Healthy Inpatient Procedures (HIP) Act, was referred to the House Ways & Means Committee and the Energy & Commerce Committee.