CMS delays deadline for opting into bundled-payment initiative

CMS bumped back the due date for providers to opt into the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced model—moving the final date to Aug. 8 from Aug. 1. The move comes in amid growing concerns from those in the industry that claims data were not provided in a timely fashion.

 BCPI was launched in January, for providers wanting to take advantage of the 5 percent bonus for participating in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (AAPM) can join the new BPCI.

The voluntary bundle will offer payments for performance on 32 clinical episodes such as major lower extremity joint replacement, percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac defibrillator, and back and neck except spinal fusion. Twenty-nine of the included episodes are located in inpatient settings and three are in outpatient settings.

BPCI-A participants will be paid based on quality performance during a 90-day episode of care. Being a bundled payment model, there is financial risk involved for providers. The model would offer clinicians another avenue to enter the AAPM track of the Quality Payment Program set up by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), avoiding the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and becoming eligible for the 5 percent AAPM bonus.

""
Nicholas Leider, Managing Editor

Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.

Around the web

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, said the clinical community needs to combat health misinformation at a grassroots level. He warned that patients are immersed in a "sea of misinformation without a compass."

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup