US-based Centers Health Care has launched an educational hub, named 'Are You TEAM Ready', to support the upcoming mandatory Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
This initiative is designed to prepare healthcare providers and hospitals for the transition to value-based care, with the model set to begin on 1 January 2026.
TEAM aims to facilitate collaboration across the care continuum to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs and hospital readmissions.
The hub provides a resource for care managers, hospital administrators, and clinicians to help them navigate the new model, which emphasises efficient, episodic care management and partnerships with long-term care providers.
The 'Are You TEAM Ready' checklist is a key feature of the hub, offering guidance on assessing and selecting long-term care partners. The hub also serves as a repository for recent articles on TEAM.
Centers Health Care CEO Kenny Rozenberg said: "As a leader in long-term care, we recognise the critical role hospitals play in the continuum of care.
"Our TEAM Educational Hub is designed to help our hospital partners prepare for this significant shift in health care financial management."
Aligning with federal healthcare goals such as those outlined in Medicare's Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced and other alternative payment models, TEAM highlights the importance of post-acute care in patient recovery.
Selecting a skilled nursing facility (SNF) partner or suitable long-term care is critical for hospitals to support TEAM's objectives.
Centers Health Care chief sales officer Steve Carr said: "While the CMS 5-star rating system offers valuable insights, it doesn't always capture the full scope of a skilled nursing facility's ability to deliver optimal outcomes for specific patient populations.
"Hospitals must take a proactive approach by thoroughly evaluating potential SNF partners and critically examining their complex care capabilities, available resources, and track record.”
