Impact of government pricing controls on the usage of stents & service bundling

Abstract

At the heart of health reform is the fundamental challenge to simultaneously improve the quality of our health care and lower its costs. The strategy of “bundled payments” and “service bundling” for healthcare quality improvement and cost containment has been the subject of increasing interest over the world, primarily in the United States and Australia. ''Bundled payments'' can be defined as a method in which payments to health care providers are related to the predetermined costs of a grouping, or "bundle" of health care services, in contrast to a fee-for-service payment that typically involves payments for individual services. Bundled payments and service bundling offer the providers the flexibility and financial incentive to avoid preventable complications and readmissions and reduce the number and cost of services contained in the bundle.