What is TEAM?
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has selected Maimonides Medical Center to participate in a mandatory program called the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). A CMS model is a trial program, and a way of testing how healthcare can be improved for people with Medicare and Medicaid. In this model, selected hospitals (referred to as “TEAM participants”) will coordinate care for beneficiaries with original Medicare, who are undergoing certain surgical procedures included in the model. TEAM participants are accountable for the cost and quality of care from surgery through the first 30 days after you leave the hospital.
TEAM participants can choose to work with healthcare entities, such as skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, doctors, and other healthcare workers or organizations who are also helping Medicare patients. These helpers are called “TEAM collaborators.” TEAM participants can set up financial arrangements to share extra money they get from Medicare with TEAM collaborators. See below for a list of Maimonides’ collaborators.
Medicare believes that when hospitals and other healthcare entities work together, patients get better care. This teamwork can also help save money, for example, by helping patients avoid going back to the hospital when it’s not needed.
TEAM aims to improve the patient experience from surgery through recovery by supporting the coordination and transition of care between providers to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions.
The five surgical procedures in the model are:
- lower extremity joint replacement
- surgical hip femur fracture treatment
- spinal fusion
- coronary artery bypass graft
- major bowel procedures
What does this mean for me, a Medicare beneficiary?
Medicare will continue to cover all your medically necessary services. However, individual beneficiaries cannot opt out of the model when they receive hospital services from a TEAM participant, such as Maimonides Medical Center. As a Medicare beneficiary you will keep your freedom of choice and may seek care with a different hospital that is not a TEAM participant.
Healthcare providers and suppliers who are enrolled in Medicare and are TEAM participants will submit their Medicare claims as they always have. Even though Medicare may provide additional payments to a hospital that is a TEAM participant, the amount you pay will not change.
What does this mean for my medical information?
Your medical records and Medicare claims data, such as Medicare Beneficiary Identifier, date of birth, name of the provider, date of service, diagnosis, and procedure codes, may be shared with your healthcare team to provide you with better, safer, and more coordinated care. When all your doctors and clinicians in the hospital and/or clinics you visit can see the same test results, treatments, and prescriptions, they can work together to support your health goals. More coordination helps prevent medical errors and adverse drug interactions. You may save time, money, and frustration by avoiding repeated tests and appointments.
Medicare will always protect the privacy of your health information. Your information is kept private by law.
Maimonides Medical Center has an electronic health information system with a Patient Portal that provides you with easy online access to your medical records. Please visit our Patient Portal page and follow the instructions to access your medical records.
Who should I contact if I have concerns or complaints about my care?
- Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider.
- Contact your local Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). The QIO program is dedicated to improving health quality for Medicare beneficiaries. To get your QIO’s phone number, call 1-800-Medicare.
- Call the 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) helpline 24 hours a day.
Where can I learn more about TEAM?
Visit the CMS TEAM page to view the list of hospitals participating in the model (the TEAM participants), details about the model design, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
TEAM Collaborators
This page will be updated with TEAM collaborator information as is becomes available.