CMS announces bundled payment delay

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it has delayed the expansion of its existing bundled payment programs and the start of new ones until January 2018. CMS posted an interim final rule in March that delayed the start of its new payment bundles and changes to the existing Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program from July 1 to October 1. But in a final rule posted in the Federal Register late last week, the agency further delayed the initiative. The delay was not an unexpected move, as the interim rule in March hinted that the administration may modify or eliminate the bundled programs in the future.

The CMS announcement can be found here.