Docs OK Hip, Knee Procedures For Outpatient Medicare Payment, But Change Could Cripple Bundling
Executive Summary
Many physicians commenting on a proposed change to the CMS Outpatient Prospective Payment to remove total and partial knee and hip arthroplasty procedures from the "inpatient procedures only" list favor the change. But some worry that the change could restrict care in some regions, in addition to adding challenges to bundled-payment models and leading to too many physician self-referrals.