Geisinger plans to expand its ProvenCare Total Hip program to cover the lifetime costs associated with the procedure.
Under the partnership with Medacta, Geisinger Health Plan members who undergo hip replacement surgery will have costs covered for all future services and procedures associated with the initial hip replacement procedure.
Here are five things to know:
1. Medacta and Geisinger will share the costs proportionally to cover the device and hospital fees as long as the patient is a Geisinger Health Plan member receiving treatment from Geisinger providers.
2. Geisinger enrolled the first patient in the program, a 53-year-old woman who underwent a successful total hip replacement on Feb. 26. The partners now plan to expand the program.
3. Geisinger's ProvenCare program was introduced in 2006 and uses evidence-based bundles and fixed per-case rates to cover preadmission, inpatient and follow-up care. The initial bundles were 90-day episodes, but this partnership expands that to cover the patient's lifetime needs.
"When it comes to the hip replacement pilot program, what we're saying to our patients is that the level of service we'll provide will be so exemplary that if there's a problem tomorrow or 20, 30 or 40 years from now, we'll take care of it," says Michael Suk, MD, chair of the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute and department of orthopedic surgery.
4. The health system initially launched ProvenCare Hip Fracture, Total Hip, Total Knee and Lumbar Spine in 2014; since then, the hospital has delivered a decrease in readmissions and shorter lengths of stay for total hip replacements. "By affixing evidence-based protocols to all hip and knee surgeries, we are able to ensure the same high quality care is delivered to every patient, every time," says Dr. Suk. "In 2018, we're expanding our ProvenCare commitment even further."
5. Medacta offers the AMIS hip replacement system and MyKnee total knee replacement patient-matched technology.