Are Medicare bundles in your future?

To ensure they are well-positioned for an expansion by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of bundled payment, hospitals that are not participants in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative should take the following steps: Understand which organizations in their markets are already participating and which might participate. Understand care utilization patterns within their care delivery networks and how those patterns affect cost per episode. Identify high-quality, cost-efficient postacute care providers and begin collaborating with them to further improve outcomes. Educate discharging physicians about the impact that choices related to postacute settings have on both beneficiary out-of-pocket obligations and overall cost of care.