Beyond compliance: Turning CMS’s TEAM Model into a competitive advantage
In January 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will launch the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM), requiring many hospitals to participate in bundled payment programs for select surgical episodes. This is more than a reimbursement change, it’s a readiness test for value-based care. TEAM will challenge hospitals to achieve tighter financial, clinical, … Beyond compliance: Turning CMS’s TEAM Model into a competitive advantage
From readiness to reality: What TEAM’s first year is really testing
In January 2026, CMS’s Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) moved from policy to practice. For hospitals in mandatory regions, TEAM is no longer something to prepare for on paper; it is live, operational, and beginning to influence how episode performance is evaluated clinically, financially, and operationally. Many organizations are entering 2026 with a measured posture. … From readiness to reality: What TEAM’s first year is really testing
CJR-X starts January 2028. The hospitals that win are starting now
CMS has finalized the first nationwide expansion of an episode-based payment model, and by its own account the largest such model in Medicare’s history: a mandatory program covering lower extremity joint replacements (LEJR). It is called CJR-X, short for Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded, and it begins January 1, 2028, as an ongoing program … CJR-X starts January 2028. The hospitals that win are starting now
Under CJR-X, quality decides more than cost: Two former CMS officials on what the earlier bundles reveal
Key Highlights Introduction › Interview › What this means for your hospital › With the CJR-X final rule now released in July 2026, the first mandatory, nationwide episode-based payment model for lower extremity joint replacement is set to begin on January 1, 2028. For most acute care hospitals, participation is now settled and required, and … Under CJR-X, quality decides more than cost: Two former CMS officials on what the earlier bundles reveal
