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★ 2026 APM Incentive Payments Now Disbursed - Action May Be Required
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has disbursed 2026 Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Payments to eligible clinicians based on Qualifying APM Participant Performance Period 2024.
To view your payment details, log in to the QPP website using your HARP credentials. Payment information is available at both the 10-digit NPI and organization levels.
Do You Need to Act? Only if you have not received your payment, verify by October 13.
★ CMS Expands Nationwide the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Payment Model Beginning in 2028
As part of the Fiscal Year 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expanded (CJR-X) Model, a nationwide mandatory episode-based payment model for most hospitals beginning January 1, 2028. Under CJR-X, hospitals will be accountable for Medicare spending associated with hip, knee, and ankle replacement episodes, including the hospitalization and 90 days of post-discharge care. CMS states the model builds on the success of the original Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model, which operated from 2016 through 2024 and reportedly generated more than $100 million in Medicare savings while maintaining quality of care. Additional information is available on the CJR-X web page here. Lastly, as part of the IPPS rule, any changes to the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) are also included. The updates are available on the TEAM web page here.
★ On June 8th, the ASA submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the FY 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule, urging refinements to episode-based payment models to better reflect clinical realities, multidisciplinary care, and responsible stewardship of Medicare resources. Read all the details at ASA Urges CMS to Refine CJR-X and ASC Episode Models in FY 2027 IPPS Proposal | American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
★ As part of ASA efforts to ensure members are aware and prepared to participate in Alternative Payment Models, two recent publications were published in the ASA Monitor and on the ASA webpage. Process Makes Perfect: The Role of Anesthesiologists in the CMS TEAM and Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Conversion Factors Higher for Physicians in Alternative Payment Models | American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
★ The mandatory, episode-based alternative payment model called Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) begins on January 1, 2026. The ASA is developing resources for members that are in a selected hospital to be informed and prepared. See if your hospital is required to participate and learn more about TEAM at Medicare's Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) | ASA.
★ On April 11, 2025, CMS confirmed the list of acute care hospitals located in one of the Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) selected for mandatory participation in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) announced on September 5, 2024. See if your hospital is one of the mandatory participants at list of acute care hospitals. To learn more about the model, see Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) | CMS.
★ On September 5, 2024, CMS published a list of acute care hospitals (XLSX) located in one of the Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) selected for mandatory participation in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). TEAM is a mandatory, episode-based, alternative payment model, in which selected acute care hospitals will coordinate care for people with Traditional Medicare undergoing one of the surgical procedures included in the model (initiate an episode) and assume responsibility for the cost and quality of care from surgery through the first 30 days after the Medicare beneficiary leaves the hospital. CMS used Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) to identify selected geographic regions for the model test. See if your hospital is one of the mandatory participants at list of acute care hospitals (XLSX). To learn more about the model, see Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) | CMS.
★ In a recent response to the proposed 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS), ASA urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand opportunities for anesthesiologists to participate in alternative payment models (APMs). As leaders in perioperative care and care coordination, anesthesiologists would be essential to the successful implementation of CMS’s proposed Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). ASA opposes making alternative payment models mandatory and, if TEAM is finalized, our letter called for a voluntary, thoughtful roll out of the TEAM model over several years.
★ On April 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed update for fiscal year 2025, along with proposed policy and regulation changes. The proposed rule would update Medicare payment policies and quality reporting programs relevant for inpatient hospital services, and build on key agency priorities, including advancing health equity and improving the safety and quality of care. Included in this rule is a mandatory 5-year alternative payment model (APM), called Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). The participants are acute care hospitals paid by IPPS. Downstream participants include the individual or entity that has entered into a written agreement with a TEAM participant pursuant to which the downstream participant engages in one or more TEAM activities. The five surgical procedures (inpatient & outpatient) include:
TEAM places the specialist as the principal provider near the anchor event with a hand off back to the primary care provider for longitudinal care management. You can access details at Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) | CMS.
★ To continue to encourage participation in Advanced APMs, Congress passed a minibus healthcare package on March 3, 2024,
that provides a 1.88% incentive payment for QPs for performance year 2024 (payment year 2026). Thus, the total additional financial incentive for participation in an Advanced APM in 2024 (beyond shared savings payments and any bonuses available in the model itself) is an approximately 2.63% increase to Medicare payments in 2026 (the 1.88% incentive payment plus the 0.75% CF update). The incentive payment is less than the previous levels of payments that Congress provided. Additionally, the payments could be less of a financial incentive than participation in MIPS.
★ The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted
the Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Payments for 2023 (PDF) on the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Resource Library. This resource provides information about the amount of Advanced APM incentive payments that were paid to eligible clinicians this year based on their participation in Qualifying APM Participant (QP) Performance Period 2021. Additional information about APM Incentive Payments is available on the Federal Register.
You can now log in to the QPP website using your HARP credentials (PDF) to see the amount your organization was paid for both the 10-digit National Provider Identifier (NPI) and the organization.
If you have not received your payment, you should check for your name on the 2023 QP Notice for APM Incentive Payment ZIP File (ZIP), which indicates that you will need to verify your Medicare billing information. If you do not verify your Medicare billing information by September 1, 2023, then CMS will not be able to issue your APM Incentive Payment. For instructions on how to verify your Medicare billing information, review the Zip File (ZIP) and Federal Register
As of 08/16/23, all organizations that applied for the 2-year extension of the BPCI Advanced Model have received a notification from CMS with the status of their application. For organizations whose applications have been accepted and are moving forward, CMS provided a unique 8-character Bundled Payments Identifier (BPID), which will start with the letter “A” and will be formatted as “AXXX-XXXX" with X representing numbers. Consult BPCI Advanced | CMS Innovation Center for pricing methodology, templates, webcasts, and other technical documents.
Curated by: the ASA Payment and Practice Management Team
Date of last update: August 20, 2026
You do not have to make a payment at this time, but you can reach out to your practice/group leader to find out when they plan to pay your dues. Email or call the ASA Support team for assistance: (630) 912-2552 or info@asahq.org.
