Interview with Dr. Robert Hymes: From Excellent Surgery to 30-Day Accountability: CMS TEAM Explained

In this episode of The Surgical Journey, NovaNav Chief Strategy Officer Lisa Miller speaks with Dr. Robert Hymes, Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at Inova Fairfax Medical Center and a fellowship-trained orthopedic trauma surgeon, about the impact of CMS's TEAM model on orthopedic departments in 2026. Dr. Hymes shares how the shift from "excellent surgery" to total episode accountability is reshaping day-to-day leadership, requiring orthopedic teams to own not just the procedure, but 30 days of outcomes and spend. He explains why the biggest risk under TEAM is failing to redesign post-discharge recovery, especially discharge disposition, patient engagement, readmissions, and complications. The conversation explores the cultural shifts required for success, including aligning surgeons, reducing variation, and rounding as a true multidisciplinary team. Dr. Hymes also introduces a powerful concept for measuring navigation effectiveness: events avoided, not just calls made. Finally, he discusses the role of technology in the TEAM era and why the best solutions must function as a quiet, scalable early-warning system that supports navigators and care teams without increasing clinician cognitive burden.   EPISODE CONTENTS 0:00 Introduction to Nova Nav 1:06 Guest introduction: Dr. Robert Hymes 2:05 CMS TEAMS overview 7:30 Post-discharge accountability in CMS TEAMS 13:04 Cultural shifts required for CMS TEAMS success 18:21 Reframing outcomes through events avoided 21:44 The importance of care navigation 23:20 How to succeed with CMS in 2026 25:15 The role of technology in CMS TEAMS 28:30 Episode wrap-up