San Antonio, Texas-based Baptist Health System's five hospitals have cut costs for hip and knee replacements while speeding up patient recovery times and saving tax payer money, reports WKNO.
Here are ten key points on Baptist Health System:
- Baptist made a deal with Medicare to allow the system to take responsibility for the entire knee and hip replacement process from admission to rehab.
- Baptist is owned by Tenet Healthcare.
- Medicare lowered their average reimbursement by 3 percent, and Baptist received a lump sum for each patient, of which Baptist could keep the difference if procedural costs were below the allotted amount.
- They are on the hook for any costs that exceed the sum.
- Some experts believe adapting this model to other systems may be quite difficult.
- Baptist surgeons were educated on how much their joint replacement devices cost.
- According to the report, Baptist surgeons were surprised to learn almost half the cost of joint replacement can come from physical therapy and other ambulatory care services such as home nurses.
- Prices dropped "the second the flashlight got lit on the implant makers," Sergio Viroslav, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Baptist Health System, said to WKNO.
- Baptist physicians are more likely to order home therapy over a nursing home stay and closely coordinate care with the nursing homes they use.
- Hospitals and orthopedic surgeons met to discuss how to cut costs and improve their care.