willing and able
to shoulder some
of the risk, says
Dr. Page. The
responsibility to
approach insur-
ers and sell them
on the financial
benefits of bun-
dled payments
lies with individ-
ual facilities.
In addition to
total joints, bundled payments are also attractive fits for spine and
hysterectomy procedures, says Dr. Page. "Use of bundles will contin-
ue to accelerate," she says. "There's going to be a huge paradigm shift
in payment structure over the next decade."
More patients and procedures
Scott Leggett, chief executive officer at Surgery One, a consulting firm
based in San Diego, Calif., says he was first attracted to the bundled
payment concept by the promise of bringing additional patients into
the facilities he helps manage.
"There's a lot more interest in price transparency now that patients
are shopping for cost-effective care," says Mr. Leggett. "Facilities have
to know the exact cost of surgery to make bundled payments work,
so they can put a clear price on the procedures they host.
"All patients care about at the end of the day is how well their sur-
geries went and how much they paid," he adds. "Making bundled pay-
ments work demands that facilities track outcomes for individual
6 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7
• HOMEWARD BOUND Sending suitable patients home or discharging them to a nearby
hotel instead of to an inpatient rehab facility is a good way to drive up profits.
