CMS to begin accepting BPCI Advanced applications for 2020 in April

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services next month will begin accepting applications to participate in its second cohort of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Model starting in January 2020. Launched last October, the Advanced Alternative Payment model will run through 2023. However, CMS currently does not intend to have enrollment periods for 2021 and 2022. Participants assume risk for patients’ health care costs and can qualify for incentive payments and exemption from reporting requirements under Medicare’s Quality Payment Program for clinicians if they meet certain quality and other requirements.
 
Acute-care hospitals and physician group practices may apply as a non-convener, meaning they initiate clinical episodes under the model, or as a convener, meaning they bear risk for multiple downstream clinical episode initiators. Post-acute care providers and accountable care organizations may apply to participate as a convener.
 
After the March 1 deadline for participants to withdraw completely or from selected episodes without financial risk, a total of 715 acute-care hospitals and 580 physician group practices are participating this year in the model, which currently includes 29 inpatient and three outpatient bundled clinical episodes. This is down from 832 hospitals and 715 physician group practices in the first year of the model. CMS is finalizing the selection of new clinical episodes for 2020, which will include outpatient total knee arthroplasty. For more information and an updated list of participants, episode initiators and clinical episode selections for 2019 (year 2), visit https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/bpci-advanced.