Preparing for CJR-X: What Hospital Leaders Need to Know: August 20
Location:
Webinar: 10-11 a.m.
The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded (CJR-X) Model, scheduled to begin in October 2027, requires hospitals to assume greater financial accountability for cost and quality outcomes across defined episodes of care. Hospital performance will be shaped not only by what happens during the hospital stay, but also by decisions, services and outcomes across the care continuum.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has projected savings of approximately $725 million over the proposed model’s first five years. CJR-X represents a significant expansion of CMS’ use of mandatory, episode-based payment models. The model is expected to be finalized in the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule in late July or early August 2026.
This webinar will examine the model’s proposed structure, participation and performance requirements. You’ll explore its potential financial, operational, and compliance implications and identify key considerations for successful performance under the model.
Objectives
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
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Describe the key features and goals of the proposed Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded (CJR-X) Model.
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Explain how CJR-X aligns cost and quality performance across an episode of care and shifts accountability to hospitals.
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Recognize the potential organizational implications of participating in CJR-X, including impacts on performance, operations, and care delivery.
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Identify key considerations and early steps to help prepare for and succeed under the CJR-X Model.
Who Should Attend
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Chief Financial Officers
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Chief Compliance Officers
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Revenue Cycle/Patient Financial Services
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Chief Medical Officers
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Chief Nursing Officers
Speakers
Michael Wolford
Principal, Forvis Mazars
A Principal with Forvis Mazars, Wolford serves in the healthcare advisory consulting practice. Since joining the firm in 2010, he has become its go-to authority on value-based care (VBC) strategic initiatives for hospitals and health systems.
Wolford has played a central role in the ground-up development of the Forvis Mazars’ and its predecessor firms’ VBC support capabilities and general strategy projects. He currently leads a team that serves more than 350 hospital/provider clients annually on strategic and analytical elements of VBC programs, helping Forvis Mazars emerge as a leader in this niche marketplace.
Wolford’s client work has focused on designing practical care redesign initiatives, aligning physician and hospital goals, creating economic win-win opportunities, and maximizing use of claims data to develop clients’ value propositions. He has been a frequent speaker at Healthcare Financial Management Association events and other industry meetings.
Stephen H. Kitterman Jr.
Managing Director/Consulting, Forvis Mazars
A director in the Forvis Mazars’ Enterprise Intelligence group of its Healthcare Practice, Kitterman has been involved in numerous engagements requiring mining and analysis of claims-level data. With the firm since 2020, he has most recently been involved in data analysis for bundling initiatives, principally the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative, Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model, and Oncology Care Model.
The Enterprise Intelligence Team currently provides data analysis for more than 50 episode initiators and more than 200 episode groups per month spanning multiple models and markets in the BPCI and CJR Initiatives. With the announcement of the BPCI Advanced program, Kitterman has led the analytics effort in modeling potential financial impact on providers according to CMS methodology. He has also supported more than 300 episode initiators as they prepare for participation in this program.
Kitterman’s other engagement experience includes episodic data analytics for acute and post-acute care providers using both public and proprietary databases. He is a member of the Carolinas Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development.