Trends in Utilization of Transitional Care Management in the United States

Improving care transitions after hospitalization is a key opportunity to improve health care value. Recognizing the importance and complexity of coordinating care during the postdischarge period, Medicare implemented transitional care management (TCM) codes in 2013 to increase reimbursement to ambulatory clinicians treating patients after hospital discharge. Early evidence has suggested that TCM could be beneficial, as it was associated with lower costs of care and mortality and readmission rates, although uptake was low.1,2 Little is known about national trends in TCM use over an extended period, particularly amid intensifying shifts toward value-based payment and care under federal policies, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.