The U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) on March 21 published an interim rule in the Federal Register that delays expansion of bundled payment pilot programs for orthopedics and cardiac care by three months.
The final rule on these programs, called "Advancing Care Coordination Through Episode Payment Models (EPMs)" -- the publication of which has already been pushed back once -- will be delayed as well, from March 21 to May 20.
Implementation of the two pilot programs, the Cardiac Rehabilitation Incentive Payment Model and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model, was to begin on July 1 of this year; the new date is October 1. And, in fact, CMS is seeking comment on pushing back the start date even further to January 1, 2018.
"This additional three-month delay is necessary to allow time for additional review, to ensure that the agency has adequate time to undertake notice and comment rule-making to modify the policy if modifications are warranted, and to ensure that in such a case participants have a clear understanding of the governing rules and are not required to take needless compliance steps due to the rule taking effect for a short duration before any potential modifications are effectuated," CMS wrote.
CMS is taking comments on this interim rule until April 19.
