By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    UV damage to eyes
    Warning Signs of Long-Term UV Damage to Your Eyes
    December 9, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    The Ultimate Healthcare Recruiting and Staffing Guidebook
    March 21, 2022
    medicare part d benefits
    Everything that You Need to Know About Medicare Part D
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    nursing program
    7 Tips to Picking the Best Nursing Program
    February 5, 2018
    Health Care: A Modern-Day Blade Runner?
    December 10, 2014
    Occupational Therapy Assistant | Medical Assistant | Home Health Aide
    In-Demand Healthcare Support Jobs
    April 16, 2016
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Reducing Readmissions and Costs for Total Joint Replacement
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Devices > Reducing Readmissions and Costs for Total Joint Replacement
BusinessMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsSpecialties

Reducing Readmissions and Costs for Total Joint Replacement

Anne Weiler
Last updated: July 14, 2015 4:53 am
Anne Weiler
Share
4 Min Read
Screen Shot 2015-07-12 at 4.00.51 PM
SHARE

Last week CMS announced a major new initiative for Total Joint Replacement, aimed at both reducing and reconciling costs. Total joint replacements are predicted to increase at a rate of 30% to 2020. Demographics are the major driver: people are getting joint replacements at a younger age, and may have more than one in their lifetime.

Last week CMS announced a major new initiative for Total Joint Replacement, aimed at both reducing and reconciling costs. Total joint replacements are predicted to increase at a rate of 30% to 2020. Demographics are the major driver: people are getting joint replacements at a younger age, and may have more than one in their lifetime. On the one hand, more active baby boomers have put greater strain on their joints by running marathons, and on the other an overweight population is putting more strain on their joints just by walking around.

Since the demand is increasing, and the costs fluctuate wildly, up to 100% by Medicare’s estimates, the opportunities to look for costs savings and to reward based on outcomes is key. Like other bundled payment recommendations, Medicare is looking at the 90-day readmission rates and also using a carrot and stick reimbursement approach.

“Depending on the hospital’s quality and cost performance during the episode, the hospital may receive an additional payment or be required to repay Medicare for a portion of the episode costs.”

While private payers often follow Medicare, this is one area where Medicare cites that it is following a trend that has already been piloted in private scenarios, most notably with self-insured employers contracting directly with healthcare systems on fixed-price knee and hip replacements, like the deals Walmart and Lowe’s have struck directly with hospitals.

More Read

Medical Necessity
5 Issues Associated with Medical Necessity
Health Insurance Benefits: Can You Have It Your Way?
Health-Focused Wearables: Can Innovators, Providers, and Insurers Work Together?
Tracking Campaign Effectiveness: The “Don Draper Days” Are Over
No Hospital Left Behind !

Screen Shot 2015-07-12 at 4.00.51 PMThe American Hospital Association is also ahead of the curve on this trend, and they published some recommendations in a 2013 report entitled “Moving Towards Bundled Payment.” In it, they also noted the wide fluctuations in pricing between health systems for total joint replacement, and also that 33% of the costs of a total-joint replacement come from post-acute care.

Screen Shot 2015-07-12 at 4.01.13 PM
Our research has shown that a large driver of these costs is discharge setting related. While the majority of patients do better when discharged to home, they were being discharged to skilled nursing instead as a “belt and suspenders” type of back up. Discharging to the right setting, can improve patient experience and lower costs. However discharge to home requires the right type of patient tools. Patients need to have great educational materials, the ability to track their progress, and the ability to get remote help if they need it. This is something we’re passionate about at Wellpepper, and we are working with a number of leading health systems that are moving to bundled payments to help them digitize the pre and post surgical instructions and collect patient reported outcomes. We’d like to be part of the solution for both patients and providers as we move to these new models of care and reimbursement.

The Medicare proposal is open for public comment for the next 60 days. It’s over 400 pages long, so you may want to print a copy and take it for a little light beach reading.

 

TAGGED:health costsHealthcarejoint replacement
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Anne Weiler
Follow:
Anne Weiler is CEO and co-founder of Wellpepper, a clinically-validated and award winning platform for patient engagement that enables health systems to track patient outcomes in real-time against their own protocols and personalize treatment plans for patients. Wellpepper patients are over 70% engaged. Prior to Wellpepper, Anne was Director of Product Management at Microsoft Corporation.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

pain management
BusinessFinancePublic Health

Why the Business of Pain Management Is Big and Getting Bigger

October 20, 2014
road-sky-clouds-cloudy.jpg
BusinesseHealth

When it Comes to Digital DTP Marketing for Medical Devices, Destination Matters

July 26, 2016

32 HealthCare Systems Named Pioneer ACOs

December 21, 2011
Medical Devices

Here Is Everything You Need To Know To Purchase A New MRI Machine

September 25, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?