Procedural episode-based cost measures: anesthesia matters

Episode-based cost measures (EBCM) is a method of combining all services related to a defined episode of care, identified as either a procedure, acute illness or chronic disease, and providing expected cost for that episode or bundle of care. Procedural EBCM has become a major scheme for payment methodology and patient quality of care evaluation. Anesthesiologists need to know how EBCM can impact their clinical practice.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pays physicians with fee-for-service payment for Clinical Episodes and, in 2020, the EBCM are increasing and currently, represents 4.5% of the total Medicare Part A and B spending [1]. With the recent changes in CMS, it is important, for anesthesia providers to know how cost attribution identifies the cost for all services and complications under anesthetic management.

EBCM can impact the anesthesiologist's quality performance, efficiencies measures, and payment. To preserve practice viability, anesthesiologists must understand how their compensation is impacted by services ordered. Anesthesiologists will increasingly be expected to improve quality and efficiencies in EBCM.