Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 - 11:33
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - 09:53
A new study published in Health Affairs raises questions about bundled payments for care.
Efforts to curb the costs of the health care system run the gamut from cutting services to insuring everyone. One of the most talked about ways includes payment reform, moving from the entrenched system of fee-for-service to something more efficient. For years experts have posited the notion of bundled payments, essentially that an episode of care engenders a flat amount of payment, not pay for each additional service performed on a payment.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently initiated a bundling effort in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Along those lines, researchers from the Rand Corporation and the Harvard School of Public Health have been studying the feasibility of implementing bundled payments using a system termed Prometheus. The findings of the study suggest that bundling may not be a cure-all for streamlining costs. Over three years, none of the providers or insurers actually made or received a bundled payment, in part because of a lack of systems integration.
On the other hand, Rand researchers found qualitative pluses. Providers were looking to work together to coordinate care, something wanting in the system. In addition, future IT and software improvements should allow for a smoother payment process. Learn more on this subject at the Wall Street Journal.
