Beyond the Hospital: Outpatient and Physician-owned Bundled Payments

Jeffrey D. Angel, MD; Scott Leggett, MS; Alexandra Page, MD

Bundled payments have gained traction as a payment option, particularly for surgical procedures, with both government (Medicare) and private payers (commercial payers and self-funded employers). Although Medicare demonstration projects—including the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement, the proposed rule mandating bundled payments—are limited to inpatient orthopaedic surgeries, other payers are moving ahead with broader interpretations of bundled payments.

My First NOLC!

Eugene Stautberg III, MD

As a resident on the trauma service, I leapt at the opportunity to attend the 2015 National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC). I readily passed the pager to an unsuspecting junior resident, smiling as I thought of the 2 a.m. pages he’d have to face regarding stool softener and “urgent” consults without imaging. I thought I was ready when I arrived in Washington, D.C.

Second Look – Advocacy

These items originally appeared in AAOS Headline News Now, a thrice-weekly enewsletter that keeps AAOS members up-to-date on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, with links to more detailed information. Subscribe at www.aaos.org/news/news.asp (member login required) CMS help with ICD-10 transition The U.S.

AAOS Urges Changes to 2016 Fee Schedule

Elizabeth Fassbender; Jennifer Hersh

On Sept. 8, 2015, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on two important proposed rules that address payment policies under Medicare. In both cases, the AAOS recommended significant changes to address concerns by the orthopaedic community about the impact of the proposed rules.