More than half of surveyed orthopedic programs across the country (56 percent) reported being unprepared for the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model, CMS' first mandatory bundled-payment initiative, which comes into effect April 1. Fewer than 10 percent reported being "fully" prepared.
The survey, which included responses from more than 100 orthopedic departments and hospitals across the U.S., was conducted by Function and Outcomes Research for Comparative Effectiveness in Total Joint Replacement and Wellbe.
Under the CCJR Model, providers will be accountable for the cost of joint replacement care from the time of the surgery through 90 days after discharge.
"Many of the 789 hospitals participating in the new program may find themselves scrambling to figure out how to clinically and operationally manage once the rule goes into effect," said David Ayers, MD, co-lead of FORCE-TJR and chair of the department of orthopedics and physical rehabilitation at Worcester-based University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The survey also found that 75 percent of respondents are actively planning to hire new staff to better meet the demands of coordinating patients and collecting data across the entire episode of care. Another 19 percent said they plan to invest in systems that will enable them to track and report patient-based outcomes.