The Medicare Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) began January 1, 2026. TEAM is a mandatory episode-based payment model under which selected acute care hospitals are financially accountable for the total cost and quality of specified episodes of care across the anchor hospitalization or anchor procedure and the post-acute period.
Challenges: TEAM Execution
Although the TEAM requirements are clear, execution can be challenging. Hospitals must operationalize cross-functional workflows for collaborator selection and contracting, beneficiary notices, documentation of financial arrangements (including recoupments), maintenance of required lists and public reporting, and timely responses to requests from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Many organizations also face practical constraints—limited staff capacity, fragmented documentation across departments, and workflow variability at discharge—that can increase compliance risk if responsibilities are not explicitly owned and standardized.
Checklist: TEAM Administrative Responsibilities
To support hospitals in meeting TEAM Administrative Responsibilities, PYA developed a comprehensive TEAM checklist. Organizations can use this checklist to confirm ownership, validate workflows, and improve audit readiness.
Download TEAM Administrative Responsibilities Checklist
The TEAM Administrative Responsibilities Checklist covers
- Oversight of sharing arrangements and collaborator selection
- Audit and record retention: gainsharing and alignment payments
- Beneficiary protections: notice requirements and freedom of choice
- Care coordination requirement
- Beneficiary engagement incentives: documentation and technology safeguards
- Organizational change and regulatory notifications
To assist healthcare leaders with understanding TEAM requirements, the checklist also includes Federal Register citations and helpful definitions of key terms.
PYA’s experts can help you operationalize TEAM requirements and efficiently implement the mandatory payment model. Learn from PYA’s many TEAM resources.
