During this May 17, 2016, webinar, a hospital leader and a bundled payment expert shared their perspectives about the challenges of implementing bundled payment programs, specifically related to orthopedic episodes (i.e., Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement [CJR]) and physician engagement.
Key takeaways from the webinar include the following.
Understand clinical workforce dynamics. Today’sclinical workforce is asked to do more administrative work and reporting than in the past, said Kelly Tiberio, Manager, GE Healthcare Camden Group. One study reported in Health Affairs found that physician practices spend 785 hours annually on physician performance reporting and the cost of doing so equals about $15 billion per year.
Skepticism about a new program may be perceived as physician resistance, but it may be related to burnout related to administrative and reporting workloads. Various physician engagement strategies can help overcome this challenge, said Tiberio.
Maintain simplicity. It is easier for physicians to understand the terms of simple and transparent incentive models, which improves the chance that physicians will be on board with the new bundled payment model, said Brian Alexander, chief administrator office, Novato Community Hospital.
Consider programmatic alignment. At Novato, the award mechanisms are built around physicians following through on certain behaviors that are aligned with broader hospital-level goals, rather individual goals, said Alexander.
