Volume In California Commercial Bundled Episode Payment Demonstration Too Low To Permit Evaluation

The volume of bundled episodes in a three-year commercial bundled payment demonstration launched by the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) in California was too low to detect the impact of bundled payments on quality of care or cost. The volume of bundled episodes was insufficient because the organizations participating in the IHA demonstration had difficulty defining the bundles of care to be provided. There were four major factors that created barriers to agreement on the bundles: disagreement on how broad the bundles should be; lack of trust between the health plans, the hospitals, and the ambulatory surgery centers; inadequate claims . . .