Published by APMConnect Sept 2026 Year one of the Transforming Episode Accountability Model is upside only. That changes in January 2027, and the health systems building TEAM programs right now are doing it against that clock. The population health team at Mass General Brigham spent this session showing APM Connect members what their program actually looks like in operation: how patients get identified, who touches them before and after surgery, and which post-acute habits ar

Published on APM Connect | August 2026 CMS has not yet posted the final list of clinicians who will be in the Ambulatory Specialty Model on January 1, 2027, 133 days from now, the ASM Participants data site still holds only the February preliminary file. But the two cost measures the model runs on are not a mystery, and they are not new. ASM's cost category uses the existing MIPS episode-based cost measures for heart failure and low back pain, and the 2026 performance-period

Published by APM Connect | August 2026

Published by APM Connect | August 2026 The FY2027 IPPS proposed changes (CMS-1849-F) are now final, and modifications include changes starting as early as October 1, 2026. For hospitals in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM), CMS finalized nearly every proposal without modification. We've outlined what's changing and what your team should line up before the rule takes effect. The spinal fusion episode category is expanding CMS is adding three newly created MS

Published on APM Connect | August 2026 If you run an acute care hospital that performs hip and knee replacements, you need to know about CJR-X. Starting January 1, 2028, virtually every eligible acute care hospital in the country will be required to participate in a new bundled payment model for lower extremity joint replacement with immediate downside risk. This is not a voluntary pilot. It is not limited to select geographies. It is a mandatory, national, permanent program

Published on APM Connect | August 2026 The CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule, released July 16, 2026, includes some of the most consequential proposed modifications to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in recent years. While some changes take effect as early as January 2027, others (particularly the benchmark recalibration) will reshape the financial landscape for ACOs into the next decade. Taken together, the proposals reflect CMS's intent to s

ASM represents the first large-scale effort by CMS to hold specialists accountable. Learn more about ASM.

Leveraging nearly 15 years of experience implementing bundled payment models for CMS, Mathematica helps hospitals turn TEAM episode and claims data into actionable insights.

TEAM Playbook for Hospitals Post-Acute Care Coordination

Three items hip/knee surgeons should know before they enter negotiations

Why ACOs should adopt the Value-Based Enterprise model to align with CMS TEAM, MSSP, and boost long-term success under value-based care.

Explore the varying perspectives on CMS’s TEAM model and what providers can do now to prepare for this shift in accountability and care coordination.

TEAM success starts with preparation. Learn how hospitals can align data, networks, and workflows to thrive in CMS’s mandatory payment model.

Quickly get up to speed on FY 2026 TEAM policy proposals. Download the one-page guide with key updates and strategic implications.

Top 3 insights to understand CMS’s TEAM Mandate: How hospitals can prepare for episode accountability and value-based care success.

Understanding the Proposed HCC Changes in TEAM’s Risk Adjustment Methodology for FY 2026 In the FY 2025 IPPS/LTCH PPS final rule, CMS...

Get a quick handle on the TEAM Mandate regs—what’s required, who’s in, and how to stay compliant. Download the guide.

CMS’s TEAM mandate introduces new financial and operational challenges. Learn how preparation, data, and provider networks drive success.

One page checklist for TEAM preparation