Unless your job involves orthopedic devices, you might have glossed over this year’s exciting news: as of April 1, 2016, the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model (CJR) is mandatory for 791 hospitals in 67 geographic areas of the United States. The headline may not have been very catchy, but really everyone in our industry should be paying attention to this first wave of emerging healthcare payment schemes. The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) implemented the CJR to better manage its >$7 billion cost for the 400,000 annual hip and knee replacements performed on its beneficiaries, so CJR hospitals are now paid a capitated sum for the entire 90-day episode of care.
