Florida Blue and Mayo Clinic Introduce Knee Replacement Bundled Payment Program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Blue and Mayo Clinic jointly announce a new collaboration aimed at providing the utmost in quality care for knee replacement patients in Florida. The two Florida health care leaders are teaming up to create a bundled payment agreement specific to the treatment of knee replacement surgery.

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Knee replacement surgery is the most common joint replacement procedure. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, health care professionals perform more than 600,000 knee replacements annually in the United States.

Like many surgical procedures, a knee replacement involves many individual medical procedures and processes. When done separately, the cost of care can add up quickly. With this agreement the bundled services are provided at one cost that will eventually provide stakeholder savings.

Some of the primary procedures that will be included in the bundled package include:

• All related surgical procedures as part of the knee replacement
• Anesthesia services
• Injections or drugs administered during the surgical procedure, including antibiotics
• Radiology/Imaging services
• Cost of the implant and surgical supplies
• Discharge planning and nursing care
• Office visits

"We are honored to collaborate with Mayo Clinic to create a unique bundled care model for our members considering knee replacement surgery," said Andy Marino, vice president of network development for Florida Blue. "This is another great example of a continued shift to new care models that focus on delivering the highest quality of care while reducing the cost burden for stakeholders."

"Mayo Clinic is committed to working with partners in the community so that more individuals can benefit from our safe and technologically-advanced surgical care. We are pleased to be able to collaborate with Florida Blue as it allows more patients the opportunity to experience Mayo quality care," says Dr. Mary O'Connor, Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Our model of integrated medical care has been repeatedly shown to deliver high quality at lower cost which is important for both our patients and insurance partners."

The bundled payment agreement, which takes effect Dec. 15, 2012, applies to all Florida Blue commercial plans, excluding Go Blue and Cover Florida plans.

About Florida Blue
Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, is a leader in Florida's health care industry. Our mission is to help people and communities achieve better health. Florida Blue has approximately 4 million health care members and covers 15.5 million people in 16 states through its affiliated companies. Florida Blue is a not-for-profit, policyholder-owned, tax-paying mutual company. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.FloridaBlue.com.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news. To schedule an appointment for knee replacement evaluation, call 904-953-2272.

SOURCE Florida Blue