CJR program reduced some racial differences in outcomes

Editor's Note

This study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, finds that Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program led to a reduction of racial differences in hospital readmission rates for patients having hip or knee replacement surgery.

The retrospective cohort study included data on 1,483, 221 total joint arthroplasty episodes of care between 2013 and 2018. The CJR program began in 2016.

In both 2013 and 2018, Black patients were more likely than White patients to have higher rates of comorbidities, receive more blood transfusions, be discharged to an institution, and be readmitted within 90 days.

However, adjusted analysis found that Black patients had larger reductions in 90-day and 180-day hospital readmission rates than White patients.

The researchers concluded that the CJR program coincided with reductions in some racial differences, thus identifying the bundled payment design as a potential strategy to target racial disparities.