This week, CMS released its final rule for Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR), putting 790 hospitals on notice that hip and knee replacement reimbursements from the nation’s largest insurer will be tied to cost containment and high standards for patient care.
CMS plans to test the initiative at those hospitals—selected from 67 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) because of their widely varying costs for joint replacement—over the next 5 years, from April 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2020. Under CJR, participating hospitals will be held accountable for patient care from a hip or knee replacement procedure (the two most common inpatient surgeries for Medicare patients) through 90 days post-discharge.
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