The spillover effects of Medicare’s comprehensive care for joint replacement (CJR) model in California

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0319582 In recognition of National Senior Citizens Day (August 21), AHRQ highlights recent research showing that Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model improved outcomes not only for Medicare patients, but also for those with Medicare Advantage or no Medicare coverage. In an AHRQ-funded study published in PLOS ONE, researchers analyzed more than 312,000 hip and knee replacements at California hospitals between 2014 and 2017 to assess the spillover effects of CJR. After the model was implemented, the average hospital stay decreased for all patient groups, and more patients were discharged directly to their homes rather than to a rehab facility. For example, home discharges increased by 4.7 percent among Medicare Advantage patients and by 2.3 percent among non-Medicare patients. These results suggest that bundled payment models may drive broader improvements in care delivery—even among those not directly targeted by the program—and may inform future payment and policy reforms.In recognition of National Senior Citizens Day (August 21), AHRQ highlights recent research showing that Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model improved outcomes not only for Medicare patients, but also for those with Medicare Advantage or no Medicare coverage. In an AHRQ-funded study published in PLOS ONE, researchers analyzed more than 312,000 hip and knee replacements at California hospitals between 2014 and 2017 to assess the spillover effects of CJR. After the model was implemented, the average hospital stay decreased for all patient groups, and more patients were discharged directly to their homes rather than to a rehab facility. For example, home discharges increased by 4.7 percent among Medicare Advantage patients and by 2.3 percent among non-Medicare patients. These results suggest that bundled payment models may drive broader improvements in care delivery—even among those not directly targeted by the program—and may inform future payment and policy reforms.