New Harvard University research shows promising results for the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model. As published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a two-year study of bundled payments for hip and knee replacement surgeries found an average savings of $812 per event – a 3.1% cost reduction when compared to fee-for-service payments.
Most of the cost savings resulted from the increased use of post-procedural home health care in lieu of skilled nursing facilities. However, the researchers predicted further savings as the bundled payment model moves forward, noting that interest has “exploded” in recent years.
The researchers also found that, despite earlier concerns that bundled payments would incentivize providers to favor healthier, less costly patients, there was little impact on the number of higher-risk patients who received lower extremity joint replacements under the CJR model. Additionally, the use of bundled payments did not affect patient complication rates.
So while it’s still too early to draw definitive conclusions, these findings bode well for the future of CJR and value-based care in general. And as providers become more acclimated to bundled payment models, MedBen also takes the lessons learned from these models and applies them to our data reporting platform.
From the outset, the goal of MedBen Analytics was to help hospitals, health systems and physician groups use bundled payments to the best advantage of patient and provider alike. We designed our software to provide the information necessary to make informed care decisions, and offer that information in a practical, intuitive format. And we continually make modifications that reflect our collective knowledge so as to provide even greater insights.
We invite you to see for yourself how MedBen Analytics bundled payment solutions can benefit your organization. To set up a demonstration of our reporting platform, please contact MedBen President & COO Kurt Harden at 888-633-2364 or email kharden@medben.com.