Page 102 - Cityview Jan-Feb 2017

100JANUARY FEBRUARY 2017AGING SPOTLIGHToption of how to keep unnecessary costs down for Medicare. Earlierthis year, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced their implementation of a by way of a ve-year trial for a bundled Medicare payment plan in 98 metropolitan areas. Bene ciaries who have received care for myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass gra , and surgical hip/ femur fracture treatment episodes would be retrospectively eligible to take part in these new services. Accordingto the CMS, the start of this program would “further our goals of improving the e ciency and quality of care for Medicare bene ciaries receiving care for these common clinical conditions and procedures.”Bundling payments is a creativeway of dealing with the problem. Rather than paying for each procedure a patient receives, doctors receiveone sum of money from Medicare to treat the problem, and it includes all procedures. Doctors would have to work within that payment to ensure the best quality of care, thus providing a more individualized version of treatment to every patient. The money would not be available for one patient to rack up a