"Working closely with providers such as Geisinger, the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Virginia Mason ... [some employers] are crafting bundled payment arrangements that cover the cost of an employee's care for certain episodes from start to finish -- all the procedures, devices, tests, drugs, and services needed for, say, a knee replacement or a back surgery. They're also, in most instances, picking up the tab for any necessary travel, lodging, and meals for the employee and a caregiver, thus democratizing destination care programs that have historically been reserved as an executive perk."

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