It is critical that healthcare executives understand and stay abreast of the implications on their organizations of the rapidly evolving innovation in healthcare payment and delivery driven by Medicare and other payers. This white paper examines areas of opportunity and ways for hospitals to achieve CJR success. Download Now

The Post-Acute Care Perspective on Bundled Payments--Webinar View Now

CMS has released its final rule for the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model.  In addition to dropping one “C” from the acronym, there are several substantive changes from the proposed rule; most important of which is that the program will now begin on April 1, 2016.   DataGen is revising its analytics to reflect all of the changes.  We will be ready to share insights on opportunities under CJR prior to the program’s official start.  We have updated our "Ten Things" paper to reflect the final rule.   Download White Paper

Hospitals may be the only risk-bearing entities under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) payment model, but there are major implications for post-acute care (PAC) providers.  Based on our review of the CJR program, this white paper outlines the top seven things PAC providers need to know about and act on to be successful partners in this and other emerging payment models. Download White Paper

In July 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed its Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) payment model, a pilot bundled payment program for the most common inpatient surgeries for Medicare beneficiaries—hip and knee replacements, known as lower extremity joint replacements (LEJRs). While CMS’ increasing interest in bundled payments has been apparent, the announcement of this mandatory initiative was a surprise to many, given that the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) demonstration program, initiated in 2013, is still in its early stages.  CCJR would be mandatory for hospitals in 75 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). This white paper examines the top ten things every hospital executive should know about the proposed CCJR program, its relationship to the BPCI demonstration, and the implications of this model for other innovative payment models.  Download White Paper

On July 9, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule describing its Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) payment model, a pilot bundled payment program for major lower extremity joint replacements. While CMS’ increasing interest in bundled payments has been apparent, the announcement of this mandatory initiative was a surprise to many, given that the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) demonstration program is still in its early stages for many participants. In addition, CMS recently requested comments on the expansion of the BPCI program, which it states is not related to the CCJR pilot. Nonetheless, CCJR, which will be mandatory for about 1,200 hospitals, appears poised for implementation in January 2016. This article presents an overview of the CCJR program, highlighting its major components and comparing it to the BPCI program.  Obviously, we summarized and omitted some of the details of the 438-page CMS proposal, so...

What is the most cost-effective post-acute care setting for rehabilitation after a medical or surgical hospital stay—an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) or a skilled nursing facility (SNF)?  It is widely assumed that rehabilitative care in an IRF may be more effective because of its higher-intensity programs, lower lengths of stay, and fewer readmissions.  But, is this the full story?  Download this article