TEAM Model 2026 - Mandatory Compliance

Document Care Transitions Without Coordination Chaos

Starting January 2026, 741 hospitals face 30-day financial accountability for readmissions. OrbDoc's AI scribe helps you complete 5-minute discharge summaries, capture SDOH barriers, and optimize TCM billing. Achieve 30% readmission reduction and leave work on time.

$15K-$45K TCM billing opportunity • 30% readmission reduction • 5-minute discharge summaries

5 min

Discharge summaries vs 45-60 min

30%

Readmission reduction achievable

$15K-$45K

TCM billing opportunity annually

60 sec

Audit response vs 15-30 hours

TEAM Model Compliance Solutions

30-Day Financial Accountability

Comprehensive discharge documentation with SDOH capture. Readmission reduction saves $294K-$427K annually.

5-Minute Discharge Summaries

Automatically synthesize 3-5 day hospital stays into discharge summaries. Save 40-55 minutes per discharge vs traditional 45-60 minute process.

SDOH Documentation & Transfer

Capture and communicate social barriers affecting readmissions. Document transportation, housing, medication affordability barriers.

Evidence-Linked Audit Defense

7-year audio retention with claim-level timestamps. 60-second audit response vs 15-30 hours of manual chart review.

TEAM Model Financial Impact by Procedure

Under TEAM, hospitals are financially responsible for readmissions within 30 days of discharge. Here's the potential exposure and savings with 30% readmission reduction:

Procedure Type Baseline Readmit Annual Volume Current Risk Potential Savings
Spinal Fusion 5-8% 100 cases $75K-$120K annually $52K-$84K saved
Lower Extremity Joint Replacement 4-6% 200 cases $96K-$144K annually $67K-$101K saved
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) 12-16% 50 cases $168K-$224K annually $118K-$157K saved
Surgical Hip/Femur Fracture 8-12% 75 cases $81K-$122K annually $57K-$85K saved

Total Annual Exposure: $420K-$610K

Potential Savings with 30% Reduction: $294K-$427K

Based on typical 300-bed hospital procedure volumes

SDOH Factors Driving 50% of Readmissions

Social Determinants of Health are responsible for half of all readmissions, yet most hospitals don't systematically capture or address them. TEAM Model makes SDOH intervention financially critical.

Transportation Access

Impact: Patients miss 50% of follow-up appointments without reliable transportation

Documentation: Document transportation barriers, arrange medical transportation, confirm follow-up access

Medication Affordability

Impact: 30% of patients don't fill prescriptions due to cost, leading to complications

Documentation: Screen for cost concerns, prescribe generics, connect to patient assistance programs

Housing Stability

Impact: Homeless or unstably housed patients have 3-5x readmission rates

Documentation: Document housing status, arrange post-discharge support, coordinate with social services

Food Security

Impact: Food insecurity correlates with diabetes, hypertension, and medication non-adherence

Documentation: Screen for food access, provide nutrition counseling, connect to food assistance

Health Literacy

Impact: Low health literacy leads to medication errors and missed warning signs

Documentation: Assess understanding, provide 8th-grade reading materials, use teach-back method

Caregiver Support

Impact: Patients without caregivers have higher complication rates post-discharge

Documentation: Identify caregiver, document support system, arrange home health if needed

Comprehensive Discharge Process

Pre-Discharge Planning

Days 1-3 of stay

Activities:

  • Identify discharge barriers early
  • Begin SDOH screening
  • Coordinate post-acute needs
  • Schedule follow-up appointments

Documentation:

Daily progress notes capture emerging barriers and coordination efforts

Discharge Day

Day of discharge

Activities:

  • Final medication reconciliation
  • Patient education delivery
  • Caregiver education
  • Discharge summary generation

Documentation:

Comprehensive discharge summary with SDOH, medications, follow-up plan

Post-Discharge Follow-Up

Days 1-30 after discharge

Activities:

  • 48-hour phone call
  • Follow-up appointment completion
  • Medication adherence check
  • Red flag symptom monitoring

Documentation:

Transitional care management notes documenting 30-day episode

Traditional Discharge vs. TEAM-Ready Approach

Traditional Approach

Generic discharge instructions printed from EHR template

Common Issues:

Patients sedated/woozy when receiving instructions
No SDOH screening or intervention
Follow-up appointments not scheduled before discharge
Medication list doesn't match what patient actually takes
No post-discharge phone call or check-in

10-15% readmission rate

Typical readmission rate

TEAM-Ready with OrbDoc

Comprehensive discharge process with SDOH intervention

Complete Solution:

Multi-day stay consolidated into clear summary
SDOH barriers identified and addressed
Follow-up scheduled and transportation arranged
Medication reconciliation with patient's actual bottles
Structured 48-hour and 7-day follow-up calls
Evidence-linked documentation for audit defense

7-10.5% readmission rate (30% reduction)

30% reduction achievable

6 Care Transition Scenarios Supported

OrbDoc's AI scribe optimizes documentation across the entire care transition workflow, from discharge planning to TCM billing.

TCM Billing Optimization

7-day and 14-day post-discharge visits for transitional care management

Outcome: $15K-$45K annual opportunity (50-100 transitions × $167-$239 per visit)

Discharge Planning Documentation

Multi-day hospital stay consolidation into comprehensive discharge summary

Outcome: 5-minute discharge summaries vs 45-60 minutes manual process. Same-day completion.

SNF Coordination

Skilled nursing facility care transition with medication reconciliation

Outcome: Clear SDOH barriers documented for SNF staff, reducing readmission risk by 30%

Home Health Transitions

Hospital-to-home transitions with home health agency coordination

Outcome: Transportation, caregiver support, medication affordability documented for home health

Medication Reconciliation

Post-discharge medication list alignment with what patient actually takes

Outcome: 30% of readmissions prevented by addressing medication affordability and adherence

Follow-Up Visit Documentation

48-hour phone call, 7-day visit, 14-day visit for TEAM compliance

Outcome: Structured TCM notes documenting 30-day care episode for billing and audit defense

Built for Small Hospitalist Groups That Enterprise Care Coordination Platforms Overlook

Small hospitalist groups managing transitions (2-8 providers), ACOs with readmission penalties, community hospitals under 100 beds. Enterprise care coordination platforms target large health systems with massive IT departments. OrbDoc focuses on your segment.

Small hospitalist groups 2-8 providers
ACOs with readmission risk
Community hospitals under 100 beds
Primary care receiving TCM patients

TEAM Model Compliance Features

5-minute discharge summaries from multi-day notes (vs 45-60 minutes manual)

SDOH structured data capture (housing, transportation, food security)

Medication reconciliation documentation with patient's actual medications

Follow-up appointment coordination tracking and verification

Post-acute care provider communication (SNF, home health, PCP)

30-day care episode tracking for TEAM compliance

Readmission risk assessment documentation with SDOH integration

Care transition checklist completion before discharge

Patient education material generation (8th grade reading level)

Evidence-linking with audio timestamps for TEAM audits

TCM billing optimization: $15K-$45K annual opportunity

CMS TEAM model compliance reporting and quality measures

Success Patterns from Care Transition Teams

Small Hospitalist Groups

Hospitalist groups with 2-8 providers managing TEAM Model transitions report:

  • 5-minute discharge summaries vs 45-60 minutes manual
  • $15K-$45K TCM billing opportunity captured annually
  • Leave hospital by 5pm consistently, no evening discharge documentation

Primary Care Receiving TCM Patients

Primary care practices receiving post-discharge patients report:

  • 7-day and 14-day TCM visits documented in 5 minutes per patient
  • SDOH barriers from hospital clearly documented for follow-up
  • $20K-$35K annual TCM revenue for 50-75 transitions

Community Hospitals Managing Readmissions

Community hospitals under 100 beds with TEAM Model penalties report:

  • 30% readmission reduction saves $50K-$200K in avoided penalties
  • 60-second audit response vs 15-30 hours of manual chart review
  • Same-day discharge summary completion, no backlog

Revenue and Cost Avoidance Opportunity

$15K-$45K

TCM Billing Optimization

50-100 transitions × $167-$239 per visit (7-day/14-day)

$50K-$200K

Readmission Penalty Avoidance

30% reduction in readmissions for TEAM Model procedures

40-55 min

Time Saved Per Discharge

5-minute summaries vs 45-60 minutes manual process

Total Annual Opportunity: $65K-$245K

For small hospitalist group managing 50-100 care transitions annually

Hospitalist groups managing TEAM transitions report completing discharge summaries in 5 minutes vs 45-60 minutes. Joint replacement readmissions reduced from 6% to 4.2% representing $200K+ in avoided penalties. Evidence-linking provides 60-second audit response.

Hospitalist Group

5-provider group managing 80 transitions annually

Leave Work on Time, Reduce Readmissions, Optimize TCM Billing

Implementation takes 3-6 months. Start now to be ready for TEAM Model compliance. Stop staying until 7pm for discharge documentation. Achieve 5-minute summaries and leave by 5pm.

Opportunity: $65K-$245K in TCM revenue and avoided readmission penalties

741 hospitals must comply • Mandatory start: January 1, 2026 • Start now to be ready