Healthcare Innovations in DE; Beebe Selected for Test of Medicare Bundled Payment Model for Episodes of Illness

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Beebe Hospital in Sussex County, Delaware recently announced its participation in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Model by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Bundled payment models link payments for multiple services received during a single  episode of care. Besides making it easier for customers to understand the cost of services, the Model aims  to motivate and support value-added higher quality and coordinated care. 

For the full announcement of how Beebe is advancing innovation in Value Based Payment in Delaware, please see excerpts from the article Beebe selected for test of Medicare bundled payment model for episodes of illness, reported in the Delaware Business Times.

Innovative Payment Models in Delaware

Beebe Healthcare announced its recent acceptance into the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Model by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

According to a Beebe release, “Innovative models of care such as BPCI Advanced can motivate healthcare providers to furnish services efficiently, to better coordinate care, and to improve the quality of care.”

Beebe, based in coastal Sussex County, has a higher percentage of Medicare patients as Sussex county attracts more retirees lured by low property taxes and no sales tax.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last January announced a new voluntary episode payment model, Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced or the Model) that will test bundled payments for 32 clinical episodes and aim to align incentives among participating health care providers for reducing expenditures and improving quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries.

The model began on Oct 1 and will run through December 31, 2023.

Healthcare providers in the program may either realize a gain or loss, based on how successfully they manage resources and total costs throughout each episode of care.

The program also allows for providers and suppliers to coordinate and deliver care more efficiently and at a higher quality, the release stated.

“As a community hospital, our management team and Board of Directors are allows looking for better ways to offer more efficient and higher quality care. Being a part of the Bundle Payment Care Improvement program over the past three years, we have been able to advance the care of many of our orthopedic patients. Now that that program is over, we are excited to incorporate lessons learned into our BPCI Advanced program,” said Jeffrey Hawtof, vice president of Medical Operations and Informatics, Beebe Healthcare.

In the previous BPCI program, Beebe Healthcare participated in three bundles focusing on total joint replacement. In the new BPCI Advanced Program, Beebe will participate in five bundles, with the focus on cardiovascular and pulmonary.

Articles posted do not reflect the views or opinion of DCHI but are meant to inform and to foster meaningful discussion about the opportunities and challenges driving healthcare reform.

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