After CMS nixed the mandatory expansion provisions for Bundled Payments and reduced the metro areas participating in CJR (joint replacement), the prospects for post-acute provider involvement in non-fee-for-service initiatives (payments and incentives based on disease states and care episodes) went in to limbo. With a fair amount of excitement and trepidation building on the part of the post-acute world about different payment methodologies, new network arrangements, new partnerships, incentive possibilities, etc., CMS put the brakes on the “revolution”; a screeching halt.
While Bundled Payments aren’t dead by any means, the direct relationships for post-acute providers are in “neutral”. The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) initiative announced in January included no avenue for SNFs, HHAs (home health) to apply and participate. Nationally, other voluntary bundle programs continue including the remnants of CJR, and Models 2, 3 and 4 in Phase II. According to CMS, as of April of this year, 1100 participants were involved in Phase 2 initiatives. The Phase 2 initiatives cover 48 episodes of care ranging from diabetes, through various cardiac issues and disease to UTIs.
BPCI Advanced opportunities (episode initiators) involve hospitals or physician groups. Post-acute will still play a role but the direct connections and incentives aren’t quite tangible or specific, compared to CJR. Time will tell how the roles for post-acute providers evolve in/with BPCI Advanced. Oddly enough, the economic realities of care utilization and negative outcome risk suggest that post-acute should play a direct, large role. As hospital stays shorten, outpatient and non-acute hospital surgical procedures increase, the directed discharge to post-acute has taken on greater meaning in the care journey. HHAs in particular, are playing an expanded role in reducing costs via enhancements to their ability to care for more post-surgical cases direct from the hospital/surgical location. Simultaneous however, readmission risk exposure increases. What is certain is that system-wide, the window of 30 to 90 days post hospital or acute episode is where significant efficiency, quality and cost savings improvement lies.
While the direct opportunities initially forecast under BPCI for the post-acute industry have evaporated (for now), strategic benefits and opportunities remain. Providers should not stray from a path and process that focuses on enhancing care coordination, improving quality and managing resource utilization. Consider the following:
- For SNFs, PDPM (new proposed Medicare reimbursement model) incorporates payment changes and reductions based on length of stay (longer stays without condition change, decrease payment after a set time period). A premium is being placed on getting post-acute residents efficiently, through their inpatient stay.
- For HHAs, payment reform continues to focus on shorter episodes in the future. Like PDPM for SNFs, the focus is on efficiency and moving the patient through certain recuperative and rehabilitative phases, expeditiously.
- Medicare Advantage plans are increasing market share nationwide. In some markets, 60% of the post-acute days and episodes are covered by Medicare Advantage plans – not fee-for-service. These plans concentrate on utilization management, ratcheting stay/episode length and payment amounts, down. Providers that again, are efficient and coordinate care effectively will benefit by focused referrals and improved volumes.
- Quality matters more than ever before – for all providers. Star ratings are increasingly important in terms of attracting and retaining referral patterns Networks and Medicare Advantage plans are focused on sourcing the highest rated providers. Upstream referral sources, concerned about readmission risks are targeting their discharges to the higher rated providers. Consumers are also becoming more market savvy, seeking information on quality and performance. And of course, government programs such as Value-Based Purchasing place providers with poor performance on key measures (readmissions for SNFs) in the reimbursement reduction pool.
- Indirectly, Bundled Payment initiatives move forward and the Advanced option will require physicians and hospitals that participate, to source the best referral partners or lose incentive dollars and inherit unwarranted readmission risk. SNFs and HHAs that excel at care coordination, length of stay management, have disease pathways in-place, can manage treatment, diagnostic and pharmacology expenses and produce exceptional outcomes and patient satisfaction are the preferred partners.