Is Tomorrow's Health Care Today: A Look at Current Payment Models for the Future?

The promise of controlling spending and improving the quality of care incentivizes health care providers to prioritize value through alternative payment models. Findings regarding improved value and cost savings of the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) redesign are consistent throughout selected metropolitan hospitals. Before refinement can take place, reporting on baseline financial status is a necessity to ensure the starting point of hospitals before CJR takes effect. Evidence-based protocols, outcomes-based measures to evaluate results, and cooperation across specialties to deliver high quality care will be necessary to insure improved care throughout the episode. This commentary reviews the CJR program and provides recommendations for the near future in order to best serve the needs of patients as we move forward in the bundled payments direction.