Comment on CMS-2026-1256-0002
Indiana Spine HospitalSupportBusiness
Summary: Indiana Spine Hospital, a physician-owned facility, requests that CMS allow physician-owned hospitals to participate in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) Voluntary Opt-In program. The commenter argues that physician-owned hospitals provide high-quality, lower-cost care and should be given an equal opportunity to participate in the program to help control costs and improve patient outcomes.
We humbly request CMS to strongly consider physician-owned hospitals an opportunity to participate in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) - Voluntary Opt-In program. Study-after-study over the past 15-years has shown physician-owned hospitals help control costs, maintain and improve patient outcomes. Physicians need to be given an equal chance, especially those physician-owned hospitals that came into existence post Affordable Care Act to provide high-quality care for CMS patients.
Physician-owned hospitals are the only ones standing in the way to ongoing hospital consolidation. Our institution, Indiana Spine Hospital in Carmel, Indiana provides high-quality, lower cost of care to its commercial patients by a sizable margin over all its local competitors - it can do the same if allowed to participate under the TEAM Program.
Measure physician-owned hospitals by any metric, they will exceed results due to taking ownership in the end-to-end care provided for their patients. Please allow physician owned hospitals such as Indiana Spine Hospital to participate in the TEAM 5-year program.