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AHA supports extending the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model for an additional three years, but only on a voluntary basis, the association told the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in comments submitted today.

“Hospitals and health systems that have been required to participate in this model have fulfilled their obligation; they should now have the option to stop participation if they do not believe it will benefit their patients,” AHA wrote. “In addition, because we have long been supportive of voluntary participation in alternative payment models as a pathway to potentially improve care coordination and efficiency, we strongly urge CMS to extend the program for all hospitals – including those currently participating on a voluntary basis.”

As hospitals focus on defeating COVID-19, AHA also urged CMS to hold hospitals harmless from performance-related penalties for the 2020 performance year, and to make appropriate adjustments for the 2020 and 2021 performance years to address the impact of COVID-19 on financial expenditures, performance scores and risk adjustment.

“This virus will have a dramatic impact on the health care system, including on CJR-related care,” the letter notes. “Because its implications will be far-reaching and difficult to predict, maintaining the model as-is in 2020 will be impractical.”