How Orthopedic Bundled Payments Are Being Operationalized: a Conversation with Jim Gera (April 1st)

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Today, CMS launched the agency's second bundled payment demonstration, a mandatory five-year initiative in approximately 800 hospitals nation-wide.  It's titled, the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR).  The CJR essentially reimburses hospitals a predetermined amount for a 90-day hip or knee surgical and rehab episode of care.  CMS is emphasizing hip and knee replacement surgeries because they account for the single largest Medicare dollar amount and highest percent of annual 30 day episode spending.  This demonstration follows CMS's voluntary Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) demonstration that provides bundled payments for 48 care episodes (including hip and knee replacements) via four care model designs.  How successfully hospitals, orthopedic surgeons and various post acute providers manage these care episodes will be important if CMS is to better control Medicare spending growth.   (Listeners will recall I discussed moreover the theory of bundled payment arrangements with Harold Miller this past September 23rd.)  

During this 29 minute conversation Mr. Gera provides and overview of Signature Medical Group and their orthopedic bundled payment work under both CMS's BPCI and CJR demos.  More specifically, he discusses how hip and knee replacement surgical patients are identified, how the bundled payment care team is assembled, how the care episode is manged, how quality is measured, profit sharing conducted and moreover principles his organization has developed to succeed under these capitated payment arrangements.  

Mr. Jim Gera is the Senior Vice President of Business Development for Signature Medical Group, Inc., a multi-specialty group of physicians located in St. Louis and rural Missouri.   Among other related activities Mr. Gera co-authored an Advanced Payment Medical Accountable Care Organization application and a successful CMS Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns grant award.   Recently he has also served as a Chair for several CMS innovation grant reviews.  Mr. Gera's previous experience includes working with other physician group practices, in outpatient facilities and in managed care both in Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans.  Mr. Gera received his MBA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

For more on CMS's CJR demonstration see:  https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/cjr

For more on Signature Medical Group see: http://www.signatremedicalgroup.com/ 

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