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On Jan. 1, CMS will begin implementation of a new alternative payment system for select hospitals. The Transforming Episode Accountability Model will hold participating hospitals responsible for the care quality, costs and post-acute coordination associated with five surgical procedures.
The model is intended to mark a shift toward shared accountability and a test of whether healthcare providers can function as “team players” in value-based care.
What is TEAM?
Through TEAM, CMS aims to test how and if episode-based payments improve care quality while reducing Medicare expenditures. Participating hospitals will be responsible for the patient’s care quality and costs for 30 days after discharge for five surgical procedures.
The five procedures included in TEAM are:
- Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
- Lower extremity joint replacement
- Major bowel procedure
- Surgical hip and/or femur fracture
- Spinal fusion
Of the more than 700 hospitals participating in TEAM, only 10 are doing so voluntarily. CMS-certified acute care hospitals located within a selected Core-Based Statistical Area that receive payment for care episodes under the IPPS and OPPS are required to participate in TEAM.