The episode, the PTAC, cost, and the neurointerventionalist

Episodic care forms a payment methodology of increasing relevance to neurointerventional specialists and other providers. Episodic care payment models are currently recognized in both payment paths described by the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act (MACRA): the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models. Understanding the cost of care, as well as how such costs are shaped in the context of episodic care, will be critical to success in both of these paths.