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Bundled payments helped cut costs for several surgery types by more than 10%, with those savings passed on to employers and patients, a new study found. Joint replacement, spinal fusion and gastrointestinal surgeries were on average $4,229 less when providers charged a set price compared to prior payment models, according to a RAND Corp. analysis of 2,372 procedures covered by self-insured employers between 2016 and 2020. The study, which used data from Carrum Health, was published in Health Affairs on Monday. (Kacik, 3/1)

Employers can cut their health-care expenses by paying top medical providers a flat rate for a bundle of related services while offering incentives to the patients who use them, a study suggests. The study, published Monday in the journal Health Affairs, found that employers using a flat-rate approach run by Carrum Health saved about 11% overall on procedures including joint replacements, spinal fusions and bariatric surgeries. The average prices when people used Carrum providers were between 6% to 41% lower compared with other providers. (Tozzi, 3/1)

U.S. manufacturers say they have enough high filtration respirators like N95s in their warehouses for every American adult, and they are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise guidance that discourages the general public from getting them. (Kopp, 3/1)

Its spinout Haven may have shuttered, but Amazon’s appetite for health care disruption has only grown. While the company officially ended its ambitious endeavor with JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway at the end of last month, it has been steadily building a health empire of its own. (Brodwin, 3/2)

On Jan. 1, women and girls in the United States became eligible for an additional check on their health. Now, starting at 13, they can be screened for anxiety as part of a routine checkup or physical with a primary care doctor or OB/GYN as a preventive service under the Affordable Care Act. “This is a real breakthrough because we’re now saying that the mental health conditions that women suffer from are extremely important and they need to be screened for,” said Maureen Sayres Van Niel, a psychiatrist and the president of the women’s caucus of the American Psychiatric Association. (3/1)

Sandia National Laboratories’ Charles Potter, a certified health physicist, recently was elected president of the American Academy of Health Physics, the professional support group for certified health physicists and the certification process. Potter, previously the organization’s parliamentarian for three years, is an internationally recognized expert on the measurement and impact of radiation on humans, according to a news release. He’s now vice chairman of a committee that develops standards for radiation protection and participates in working groups focused on measuring external radiation exposure through inhalation or ingestion, and monitoring dose exposure for large groups after an adverse event. (3/1)