The LA Times featured an article this week about the hip and knee surgery warranty that Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, CA offers its patients. The article describes how some work-based plans and private insurers offer flat-fee or bundled payment arrangements at certain hospitals.
In California, Anthem Blue Cross has flat-rate fee arrangements in place with some large employers; employees save on costs when they have surgeries done at certain hospitals. And Cigna, which is contracted with Hoag under a bundled payment arrangement, makes the surgical warranty for joint replacement surgery available to some of its 1 million California-based customers.
James Cailloutte, MD, surgeon in chief and AAHKS member was interviewed for the article. Full article.
