The Health Care Authority has reported it plans to issue the next RFP for a payment bundle for public employees in mid-February. The bundle will include services for spinal fusion. The HCA plans to contract for one or more centers of excellence.
WSHA provided comments to the HCA earlier this year on the impact of payment bundles on rural areas. We understand that, based on our comments, the HCA has included provisions to determine if a chosen center of excellence is able to work appropriately with local, rural providers that may be able to provide components of the care.
When it becomes available, the HCA will post the RFP to the HCA Bids and contracts webpage and to the Washington’s Electronic Business Solutions (WEBS) for Vendors site. To access the RFP on WEBS, interested parties first need to register with WEBS. WSHA will also provide additional information on the RFP when it is released.
The spinal fusion bundle is the HCA’s second bundled episode of care. In 2016, the agency contracted with Virginia Mason as a center of excellence for hip and knee replacements. The spinal fusion bundle RFP is part of HCA’s continued efforts to pay for value-based care. (Claudia Sanders)
