Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM): What Hospitals Need to Know
Overview
TEAM Schedule Overview
Model announcement: August 2024
Start date: January 1, 2026
End date: December 31, 2030
2025 Preparation Period Timeline
Hospitals will have 17 months to prepare for the TEAM model implementation. This preparation period begins in 2025 and continues into early 2026.
Q1 (January - March) – Education & Training
Hospitals should focus on educating staff and implementing necessary systems throughout 2025 to prepare for the model’s launch
• Explore Centers Health Care’s newly launched educational hub on TEAM for hospitals
• Begin staff education programs on TEAM model requirements, highlighting its goals of improving care quality, patient outcomes, and cost efficiency
Q2 (April - June) – Partnership Development
Hospitals should work to develop partnerships with long-term care providers to prepare for shared financial risk and care redesign strategies
• Review and analyze current long-term care partnerships
• Evaluate and select high-quality long-term care facilities in your area; Look for multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals that collaborate to provide comprehensive, person-centered care to residents
• Begin discussions with potential long-term care partners
• Finalize agreements with selected long-term care partners
Q3 (July - September) – Quality Measure Improvement
Hospitals should prioritize improving performance on the three quality measures that will be used in TEAM
• Evaluate your hospital’s readmission rates and quality metrics and consider appointing a dedicated TEAM coordinator to ensure milestones and metrics are being met based on the following:
o Hybrid Hospital-Wide Readmission Measure with Claims and Electronic Health Record Data
o CMS Patient Safety and Adverse Events Composite (CMS PSI 90)
o Hospital-Level, Risk-Standardized Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Elective Primary Total Hip and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty (THA/TKA)
• Start implementing standardized care protocols for TEAM model episodes
• Initiate performance review meetings with selected top-tier long-term care partners
Q4 (October - December) – Care Coordination Enhancement
Hospitals should work on improving care coordination and transition processes, particularly for the five-episode categories included in TEAM: CABG, LEJR, SHFFT, spinal fusion, and major bowel procedures
• Develop strategies for improving care coordination with long-term care partners
• Conduct final preparations for TEAM model launch
• Establish regular communication channels with long-term care partners
• Key Date:
o December 31, 2025: This marks the end of the preparation period, as hospitals must be ready for the TEAM model launch on January 1, 2026.
Resources
How to Partner with Us
To get started, contact:
Steve Carr
Chief Sales Officer
scarr@centershealthcare.org