The “bundling” of Medicare payments after a hospital stay could have negative repercussions for long-term care and merits further investigation, the American Health Care Association said Wednesday.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services currently is involved in a post-acute care bundling demonstration project. The program, which seeks to compare services, costs and outcomes across various provider settings, should be completed and evaluated before a bundling program is implemented nationwide, AHCA President and CEO Bruce Yarwood said. President Obama has included a provision in his fiscal year 2010 budget that would implement a bundling system.
“We strongly endorse a site-neutral post-acute care payment system where payment levels will be based on the condition of the individual being served, not the location of the service.” Yarwood said in a statement.
