CMS Delays Expansion of Bundled Payment Initiatives

March 2017 ~

CMS has issued an interim final rule to delay the expansion and implementation of major bundled payment initiatives.

Posted to the Federal Register on March 20, key components of the interim rule include:

• Delayed implementation date for mandatory bundled payment programs for heart attacks and bypass surgeries from July 1 until October 1, 2017
• Delayed implementation date for cardiac rehabilitation payment model, which will test whether a payment incentive can increase the utilization of cardiac rehabilitative services, from July 1, until October 1, 2017
• Delayed expansion of the CJR model to expand to include additional surgical treatments for hip and femur fractures from July 1 until October 1, 2017
• Further delays the effective date of a final rule to implement the joint replacement bundle initiative, the cardiac rehabilitation incentive payment model and the initiative to advance care coordination through episode payment models from March 21 to May 20, 2017
• Seeks comment on a potential further delaying the implementation of the cardiac bundles and expansion of the CJR model to January 1, 2018

As stated in the interim final rule, “The additional 3-month delay is necessary to allow time for additional review, to ensure that the agency has adequate time to undertake notice and comment rulemaking to modify the policy if modifications are warranted, and to ensure that in such a case participants have a clear understanding of the governing rules and are not required to take needless compliance steps due to the rule taking effect for a short duration before any potential modifications are effectuated.”

Source(s): HealthcareDIVE; FierceHealthcare, Modern Healthcare, Becker’s Hospital Review,CMS; CMS;