CMS Further Delays Bundled Payment Implementation, Expansion To January 2018

On May 19, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that delays expansion of the Medicare Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) Incentive Payment model and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model, bundled payment programs, until January 1, 2018. The program delays are intended to align changes with a new episode payment model (EPM), so that the programs start at the same time.

Under the new EPMs acute care hospitals in certain selected geographic areas will participate in retrospective EPMs targeting care for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries receiving services during acute myocardial infarction . . .