Condition-based Payment Models Serve as New Options

Benjamin Kopp, MD, MBA; Kevin Bozic, MD, MBA; Karl Koenig, MD, MS

This editorial concludes a two-part series on payment models. The first article appeared in the April issue of AAOS Now. Visit www.aaos.org/aaosnow to read more. Part one of this editorial introduced the concept of condition-based bundled payments as a middle ground between procedure-based bundles and capitation payment models. A condition-based bundled payment model encourages procedures that offer the greatest patient value and, by default, disincentivizes low-value care.

Supporting a BPCI or CJR Program Requires a Strong Team and Leveraging New Technology

Alexander Sah, MD

Embarking on a successful Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) or Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program requires establishing and fostering relationships with key stakeholders. Essentially, any provider who participates in a patient’s longitudinal pathway of care should be part of the multidisciplinary team. The team may include physicians, administrators, payers, nurses, therapists, case managers, post-acute care organizations, and others.

Coding Experts Weigh in on the Value of Code-X

Cheryl Toth, MBA

If you are looking for an electronic tool that makes code selection easier and gives your practice powerful data for reducing denials, strengthening appeals, and validating plan payments, the Academy’s Code-X software tool is a good choice.

What to Do When—Not If—You Must Care for Patients Following a Mass Casualty or Disaster Event

Kerri Fitzgerald

During the President’s Symposium at the AAOS 2019 Annual Meeting, former AAOS President David A. Halsey, MD, hosted a session that provided education on best preparedness practices in the face of a mass casualty or disaster event. “Nearly every day it seems, some place in our country and around the world [is] affected by incidents resulting in mass casualties,” Dr. Halsey said. “We can’t choose the best time and ideal place for such events.

Take Charge of Your Professional Online Reputation

Kaitlyn D’Onofrio

The tools doctors use in practice are changing with the times, as are the ways patients choose their clinicians. During a career development session at the AAOS 2019 Annual Meeting, Christian Veillette, MD, MSc, FRCSC, assistant professor at the University of Toronto, discussed how orthopaedic surgeons can manage their online reputations. “Online reputation” encompasses an entire online presence, including results from a Google search.

Is Age Just a Number? Considerations for Tapering or Stopping Practice

Kerri Fitzgerald

What happens to a surgeon with age? During a career development session at the AAOS 2019 Annual Meeting, R. Dale Blasier, MD, FRCS(C), MBA, of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., discussed how aging wears on a surgeon and provided guidance on when—and whether—to retire from practice. “The effects of aging affect how we work,” he said. Beyond physiological changes that come with age (e.g.