A proposed change by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from mandatory to voluntary bundled payment programs may serve as a speed bump in the transition to value-based care, but it is unlikely to stop the shift.

Earlier this month CMS sent a proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget which, if approved, would cancel mandatory bundled payment initiatives for heart attacks, bypass surgery and hip and femur fractures, and reduce the number of health systems participating in the current mandatory Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program from 67 geographic areas to 34.

“This is more a reflection of HHS Director Tom Price’s preference for voluntary programs than it is an attempt to stop the successful bundled payment initiatives,” said Kurt Harden, President and COO of MedBen Analytics. “Bundled payments have been a bright spot in the various value-based care initiates introduced at CMS, and early results have demonstrated lower costs with no decline in customer satisfaction. Plus, we are seeing more and more commercial bundles come on line,” Harden added.

When the new bundled payment models were announced last year, MedBen Analytics took the necessary steps to expand our reporting portal, to ensure that health systems affected by the initiatives would have access to the same useful insights our CJR clients already receive. And while the CMS rule will likely slow the growth of value-based care, it in no way affects our confidence that this model will continue to gain acceptance, nor our mission to provide relevant and timely bundled payment data to providers who believe in its potential.

Since launching MedBen Analytics in 2015, our mindset has always been the ultimate success of bundled payments will be determined by the number of health systems that voluntarily adapt the model, and consensus opinion of value-based care’s practicality and profitability when compared to traditional fee-for-service. Based on the enthusiastic feedback we’ve received from clients who have chosen to implement the bundled payment model, we think value-based care has a bright future.