Rehab Select Blog

Today's healthcare market is a swiftly changing landscape, and much of that change is related to alternative healthcare payment models. The goal of those models is to stem the tide of rising healthcare costs while continuing to provide an excellent standard of care to patients—a concept that has become widely known as "value-based healthcare." So how is this move towards value-based healthcare models panning out? Here is what you need to know about 2016 trends in healthcare payment models.

The bundled payment model is on the rise in today's healthcare marketplace, with a growing number of government and corporate payers testing new bundling plans as an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service payment model. The goal of these initiatives is to reduce the costs of healthcare while maintaining or improving the quality of care patients receive. While many healthcare providers have already had experience with this value-based payment model, many others have not. If you are one of them, chances are you have questions about bundled payments.

If joint replacement surgery has been recommended for you as a means of relieving the pain and debility caused by a diseased or damaged knee joint, there are a few things you should know in order to be well-prepared for your procedure. Among the more important of these is that knee replacement has very high success rates, resulting in better mobility and less pain for the vast majority of patients. However, those benefits are not instant—they will emerge gradually over several months of recovery and rehabilitation. Here, we'll go over 3 common issues that you can expect to face as you work to recover and rehabilitate after your knee replacement surgery.

Joint replacement surgery is an option considered for patients for whom joint degeneration has caused significant quality of life issues, including chronic pain, poor joint function, and limited mobility. It is, as a rule, recommended only when non-surgical options fail to provide adequate relief for these issues. If you have been living with this sort of joint dysfunction and your medical team has recommended joint replacement, chances are you're wondering just how your mobility will be impacted by this procedure.

The bundled payment model is becoming ever more familiar in today's healthcare landscape, with these plans being implemented in growing numbers throughout the industry. Among the benefits this payment model is said to convey is cost savings as compared to the traditional fee-for-service payment model. Since these plans are fairly recent additions to the healthcare system, many payers and providers are unsure about whether or not these plans can deliver on those claims.

Hip replacement procedures have improved the mobility, pain relief, and quality of life for millions of people over the past few decades. In fact, joint replacement surgery is considered one of the most successful orthopedic procedures done today. However, if you will be having this surgery, you should know that proper care and therapy after hip replacement is as critical to the short- and long-term success of these surgeries as the procedures themselves are, helping patients maximize the benefits of joint replacement and minimize risk of post-surgery complications.

The bundled payment model is a value-based model that compensates healthcare providers for specified episodes of care via an agreed-upon flat rate. A departure from the traditional fee-for-service payment model, bundled payments are designed to reduce healthcare costs and improve quality of care by creating incentives for the establishment of more streamlined and well-coordinated care pathways.

The bundled payment model is becoming ever more popular in healthcare, with a growing number of government payers – Medicare, for instance – larger healthcare systems, employers, insurers, and other payers rolling out these plans as an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service model. This trend towards a value-based payment model has become even more pronounced over the past few years with the implementation of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Much of the discussion about the merits of bundled payments has centered upon the benefits they can yield for healthcare providers and payers, but these plans offer significant benefits to healthcare consumers as well. So just how do bundled payments help patients?

Hip replacement surgery can offer many benefits to patients who have suffered damage to a hip joint due to arthritis or injury, including increased mobility, less joint pain, and better quality of life. However, if you will be having this type of joint replacement surgery, you should know that when it comes to reaping those benefits, the rehabilitative therapy you receive after surgery is nearly as important as the procedure itself.

If you will be having joint replacement surgery in the near future, chances are that you may have heard about the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model, commonly abbreviated as CCJR or CJR. This initiative, which was rolled out by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as of April 1, 2016, mandates the participation of acute care hospitals in 67 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in a bundled payment program for hip and knee replacement procedures.