Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1220364
3 ORTHOPEDICS BCBS of Rhode Island, University Orthopedics partner in bundled payment arrangement for outpatient joint replacements By Alan Condon P rovidence, R.I.-based University Orthopedics and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island are developing a new value-based initiative for outpatient total joint replacements. The bundled payment program will transfer some joint replacement pro- cedures from the inpatient- and/or outpatient-hospital setting to UO's new ASC in East Providence, R.I. Outpatient hip, knee and shoulder replacement surgeries are included in the program, which is only available to BCBSRI commercial members. The bundle includes several services such as surgery, use of the new UO ASC, overnight stay at its wellness center and nurse care services. BCBSRI and UO plan to develop further bundled payment programs for outpatient procedures that can be performed in ASCs. n The next frontier in spine: The 4 areas Dr. James Chappuis will expand next year By Laura Dyrda J ames Chappuis, MD, founder of SpineCenterAtlanta, outlined his strategy to remain on the forefront of the spine field in 2020 and beyond. Question: If 2020 is a successful year for you, what will it look like? Dr. James Chappuis: It would show the exponential growth of our revision spine practice along with the contin- ued development of our endoscopic and minimally invasive practice. This year, we opened our telemedicine prac- tice and look forward to continuing to expand this locally, regionally, and nationally. Due to the nature of health insurance today, I think our number of patients who are underinsured or uninsured will grow and we will see more patients who are outside of insur- ance systems. Lastly, we are working on a membership program to hopefully have in place by the third quarter of 2020. Q: Where will you focus most of your time and energy next year? JC: The main focus will be on the ex- pansion of our revision spine practice. With Dr. Brian Adams, our interven- tional spine physician, our regenera- tive anti-aging approach to spine care with the use of stem cell treatments for back and neck pain will grow. Our endoscopic practice will also progress as these procedures are and will be the next frontier in advancing spine surgery. Additionally, a good deal of our focus in 2020 will be on outcome data. Since hospitals are now required to be transparent, we want patients to have the option to compare our outcomes with those of hospitals. It is extremely important to me for patients to have that transparency. Q: What do you consider the big- gest potential threat to your spine practice? JC: e biggest potential threat to us is the same threat posed to physicians and surgeons in general, which is our lack of collaboration with each other. is issue has occurred over the years to the point where the insurance industry now controls us simply because we were not able to collaborate. Going forward, if we want to thrive, my colleagues and I have got to figure out how to work together in a collegial manner. Q: What do you plan to start doing next year, and what will you stop doing? JC: anks to the addition of Dr. James Malcolm in January, we will increase our revision practice to include deformi- ties. Secondly, our interventional spine practice will continue to grow, with Dr. Brian Adams, to where we will be conducting more percutaneous proce- dures such as minimally invasive SI joint fusions, basivertebral nerve ablation, and neuro modulation to include spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation. Lastly, we want to expand and develop our endoscopic practice with not only the lumbar procedures we currently offer but also cervical. In regards to the second part of your question, we will drastically reduce the amount of opioids in an effort to be proactive in combating the ongoing opioid epidemic. n