ConnectiCare has extended its agreement with the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute (CJRI) at St. Francis to offer a program for total hip and knee replacement surgery that features one bundled price for all of a patient’s hospital-related and post-acute services, rather than a separate price for each caregiver.
In the last three years, more than 300 ConnectiCare members have participated in the Step Ahead Plan, which coordinates the treatment provided by the hospital, surgeon and anesthesiologist.
The Step Ahead Plan at CJRI is a collaborative effort between St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, The Connecticut Joint Replacement Surgeons LLC and Woodland Anesthesia Associates PC.
CJRI inked its first contract for the plan with ConnectiCare in 2012.
As a result of the bundled-payment program, hospital stays for plan patients have decreased from 3.7 days to fewer than two days, and implant and consumable costs have declined, ConnectiCare said, adding that patient satisfaction scores have consistently exceeded the 95th percentile.
ConnectiCare reimburses the providers one value-based price. The reimbursement goes to St. Francis Hospital, which then divvies up the payment among the three providers based on a contractual agreement they’ve established among themselves.
Dr. Steven Schutzer, medical director at CJRI, said the plan’s package for all costs incurred within the hospital setting “now includes post-acute services and a ‘warranty’ for 90 days after discharge from the hospital — the first of its kind in New England.”
