Becker's Healthcare November 7, 2022
Medicare’s bundled payments program did not lead to negative clinical outcomes, or change who hospitals selected as patients, a study published in the November issue of Health Affairs found.
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Model is an optional program where participating hospitals are held accountable for 90-day windows of care. Initiated in 2018, the program reduced overall Medicare payments in 90-day windows, and patients had similar outcomes to those at hospitals that did not participate in the program, the study’s authors wrote.
The program’s model raised concerns that hospitals would need to attract less-sick patients to meet the spending goals. The study’s authors, researchers at Washington University in...