The Bundled Payment Systems: Can they be more successful this time?

The success of health reform, the stability (and equity) of the health care system, and even the fiscal health of the nation all require the gap between health care spending growth and income growth to shrink. The recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act incorporated many provisions intended to accomplish this goal. Initiatives that bundle payments to health care providers are among the most touted of these strategies. Several types of bundled payment approaches (not mutually exclusive) are under consideration. PMC ID: PMC2965497 (October 2010)