CMS further delays major bundled payment initiatives

The final rule delays the start of the cardiac rehabilitation payment model and mandatory bundled payment programs for heart attacks and bypass surgeries and the expansion date of the CJR model from Oct. 1, 2017, until Jan. 1, 2018.

This is the second time CMS has delayed the new programs and the CJR expansion. In March, the agency pushed back the effective date for the programs from July 1, 2017, until Oct. 1, 2017.