Relevant Publications from the Field

The following publications should be reviewed as learning tools; they have not been authored by Dr. Amol S. Navathe or his team, but offer critical insight into health incentives and behavioral economics in ways that may be of particular interest to readers. 

Hospital Participation in the Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver Program

Read Publication JAMA

This study found that participation in the AHCAH program was concentrated among large, urban, not-for-profit, and academic hospitals. The characteristics of postextension hospitals were similar to preextension hospitals, although postextension hospitals were somewhat smaller and demonstrated regional differences. Overall, adoption of hospital-at-home programs has been largely limited to certain types of US hospitals, likely reflecting the necessary resources, environment, and motivations to implement this new service. Study limitations include that hospitals were designated as participants only on the basis of waiver status and not active hospital-at-home patient enrollment. As further extension of the AHCAH waiver program is debated in Congress, CMS may consider additional strategies to engage a broader set of facilities to develop hospital-at-home programs, particularly nonteaching and rural hospitals.

Zikry HE, Schriger DL, Kilaru AS. Hospital Participation in the Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver Program. JAMA. 2025;333(8):718–720. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.26368

Buprenorphine-Precipitated Withdrawal Among Hospitalized Patients Using Fentanyl

Read Publication JAMA Netw Open.

In this cohort study of 226 adult emergency department or hospitalized patients with opioid withdrawal severity documented within 4 hours of buprenorphine initiation, 12% developed precipitated withdrawal. The findings suggest that a minority of persons using fentanyl are at risk of buprenorphine-precipitated withdrawal when starting OUD treatment and that additional research is needed to identify risk factors for precipitated withdrawal.

Thakrar AP, Christine PJ, Siaw-Asamoah A, et al. Buprenorphine-Precipitated Withdrawal Among Hospitalized Patients Using Fentanyl. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2435895. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.35895

Post-Acute Care After Joint Replacement in Medicare’s Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative

Read Publication Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Joynt Maddox KE, Orav EJ, Zheng J, Epstein AM.

Mandatory Medicare Bundled Payment Program for Lower Extremity Joint Replacement and Discharge to Institutional Post-Acute Care

Read Publication JAMA

Finkelstein A, Ji Y, Mahoney N, Skinner J.

Evaluation of Medicare’s Bundled Payments Initiative for Medical Conditions

Read Publication New England Journal of Medicine

Joynt Maddox KE, Orav EJ, Zheng J, Epstein AM.

Participation and Dropout in the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative (Research Letter)

Read Publication JAMA

Joynt KE, Orav EJ, Zheng J, Epstein AM.

Association Between Hospitals’ Engagement in Value-Based Reforms and Readmission Reduction in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program.

Read Publication JAMA Internal Medicine

Ryan AM, Krinsky S, Adler-Milstein J, Damberg CL, Maurer KA, Hollingsworth JM. 

Association Between Hospital Participation in a Medicare Bundled Payment Initiative and Payments and Quality Outcomes for Lower Extremity Joint Replacement Episodes

Read Publication JAMA

Dummit LA, Kahvecioglu D, Marrufo G, Rajkumar R, Marshall J, Tan E, Press MJ, Flood S, Muldoon D, Gu Q, Hassol A, Bott DM, Bassano A, Conway PH.

Medicare’s Bundled Payment Initiative: Most Hospitals Are Focused on a Few High-Volume Conditions

Read Publication Health Affairs

Tsai TC, Joynt KE, Wild RC, Orav EJ, Ja AK.