CMS lists 716 hospitals as participants in TEAM, Medicare's mandatory episode payment model for five surgeries.
716
hospitals in TEAM, on CMS's model page
CMS lists 716 hospitals as participants in TEAM, Medicare's mandatory episode payment model for five surgeries.
TEAM runs five performance years, from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2030. CMS's participant list, linked from the same model page, names 721 hospitals as of August 18, 2026. Three of them have participation end dates in early 2026 and two start in January 2027; leaving those five out gives the 716 on the model page. The TEAM explorer on this site uses CMS's June 2026 list, which named 720.
Sources: Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) model page (opens in a new tab), Model Summary, Number of Participants; CMS, TEAM participant list (updated September 2026) (opens in a new tab), TEAM Participant List sheet, participation start and end dates. Verified October 2026.
Related charts
- From the blog
A TEAM hospital in Track 3 can owe CMS up to 20% of its total target price in a year
CMS, TEAM Model Overview slides (updated September 2026); 42 CFR 512.550, TEAM reconciliation (eCFR) - From the blog
At the median TEAM hospital, the hospital stay uses 38% to 70% of the target, by surgery
Kent Applied, TEAM position report and method; CMS, TEAM PY1 preliminary target prices; CMS, Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service, 2024; CMS, TEAM episode construction specifications; CMS, payment standardization method; CMS, TEAM model page - From the blog
Payers initially denied nearly 12% of hospital and physician claims in 2024
Kodiak Solutions, press release on 2024 initial denial rates (May 21, 2025) - From research
In 4 of 1,539 TEAM hospital and surgery pairs, the stay alone costs more than the target
Kent Applied, TEAM position report and method; CMS, TEAM PY1 preliminary target prices; CMS, Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider and Service, 2024; CMS, TEAM episode construction specifications; CMS, payment standardization method
Sources for the figures above: 42 CFR 512.550, Reconciliation process and determination of the reconciliation payment or repayment amount (opens in a new tab); Rate of initial denials of medical insurance claims continued to rise in 2024, Kodiak Solutions proprietary data show (opens in a new tab).
Related facts
20%
of its total target price, the most a Track 3 hospital repays
Under TEAM, a Track 3 hospital's repayment to CMS for a year is capped at 20% of its total target price, per 42 CFR 512.550.
Source: 42 CFR 512.550, Reconciliation process and determination of the reconciliation payment or repayment amount.
KentApplied31
baseline episodes: TEAM's low-volume threshold
CMS holds a TEAM hospital to account for spending over target in a surgery only if it had at least 31 episodes in the three-year baseline.
Source: TEAM Model Overview slides (updated September 2026).
KentApplied4 of 1,539
hospital and surgery pairs where the stay alone exceeds the target
In 4 of 1,539 TEAM hospital and surgery pairs, the hospital stay alone costs more than the 2026 target price, according to Kent Applied's analysis of CMS files.
Source: TEAM position report: where each hospital stands in CMS's TEAM model.
KentApplied
Sources for the figures above: 42 CFR 512.550, Reconciliation process and determination of the reconciliation payment or repayment amount (opens in a new tab); CMS, TEAM Model Overview slides (updated September 2026) (opens in a new tab).
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