Impact of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative on Patient Outcomes and Health Care Costs, Phase 2

For the first of three analyses, the study team’s prior Fund work will be extended for an additional year to assess the longer-term impact of bundled payment for common medical conditions and determine if ongoing participation improves performance. The second analysis will focus on the effects of BPCI participation on access to care, costs, and outcomes for high‐need, high‐cost patients. The third analysis will identify the characteristics of hospitals and markets that save money or improve quality of care; this work could potentially pinpoint successful strategies for other providers in the BPCI program. The research team will also seek to identify any unintended consequences of bundled payment, such as providers’ avoidance of risk.