Will Bundling Work in Rural America. Analysis of the Feasibility and Consequences of Bundled Payments for Rural Health Providers and Patients. Policy Brief

摘要

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have long recognized the misalignment of incentives across the payment sectors within Medicare. Many health policy analysts and organizations are now advocating moving CMS towards a bundled payment strategy that re-aligns hospital, physician, and post-acute care provider incentives to better coordinate and improve inpatient and post-acute care, thereby reducing readmission rates, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs (MedPAC, 2007; Pham et al., 2010; Hussey et al., 2009; Mechanic and Altman, 2009; Fisher et al., 2009).