Medicare bundled payments improve outcomes for total joint patients

Editor's Note

Implementing bundled payments for Medicare patients having total joint replacements resulted in improved quality of care and outcomes and reduced costs, finds this study presented March 2 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

As a pilot site for Medicare’s Bundled Payment for Care Improvement initiative, NYU Langone Medical Center (New York City) over a 3-year period saw:

• reductions in length of stay from 3.58 days to 2.96 days
• decreases in admission to follow-up care facilities from 44% to 28%
• lower readmission rates at 30 (7% to 5%), 60 (11% to 6.1%), and 90 (13% to 7.7%) days after surgery
• decreases in average cost of care from $34,249 to $27,541. 

Implementing bundled payments for total joint replacements resulted in year-over-year improvements in quality of care and patient outcomes while reducing overall costs, according to a new three-year study from NYU Langone Medical Center.