A study published in the March issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma examines the use of a bundled payment model for fracture care. 

The authors reviewed information on 23,643 operatively treated patients with fracture and 544,067 patients who underwent total joint arthroplasty (TJA) from the New York State Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database. Among TJA patients, they found that the difference in hospital charge between patients with minor or severe severity of illness (SOI) ranged from 153 percent to 211 percent. Among patients surgically treated for fracture, the difference in hospital charge between patients with minor or severe SOI ranged between 314 percent and 489 percent. In addition, the authors observed similar differences in mean hospital length of stay and homebound discharge disposition, with patients with fracture demonstrating greater sensitivity to increasing SOI. "Although bundled payments may be a viable option for patients undergoing elective TJA," the authors write, "this payment model requires particular attention when applied to fracture care." Learn more...