Dallas-based Tenet hospitals joined two other healthcare providers by opting into a federal program that aims to improve care while reducing costs, Modern Healthcare reports.
Tenet and Adventist Health Systems (who are opening a new hospital in North Texas soon) are two of 1,299 entities who signed agreements with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to participate in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced model. In all, 832 acute care hospitals and 715 physician group practices are included as well, according to Modern Healthcare.
In the agreement, CMS pays providers a fixed amount for a certain set of services, which could include initial hospital admission and all the care for the next 90 days. Originally, the plan included 48 possible sets, but the newest iteration only includes 29 clinical episodes. Some providers have complained that the target prices set by CMS for the providers are too low, with some threatening to leave the agreement, Modern Healthcare reports.
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