Summary: Healthcare reform partially fueled Baptist Health System's desire to participate in the CMS Acute Care Episode (ACE) pilot that is testing bundled or episodic payments for selected orthopedic and cardiac procedures, explains Michael Zucker, Baptist's chief development officer. He describes some early returns from the experience, highlights the provider's role in Baptist's multi-pronged awareness campaign for Medicare beneficiaries and explains the committee-based approach to quality change and cost savings that has already improved communications among participating providers. Zucker shared Baptist Health System's experience thus far in the CMS bundled payment pilot and early feedback during a September 16, 2009 webinar, Medical Home Reimbursement: Exploring Bundled Payment Options. The 45-minute session is part of HIN's continuing Medical Home Open House webinar series.
