CMS Launches ACCESS Model to Expand Digital, Outcome-Based Care for Medicare Patients

Scheduled to begin on July 1, 2026, the 10-year initiative will support nearly two-thirds of people enrolled in Original Medicare.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center has launched ACCESS, a new model designed to expand technology-enabled chronic care and tie payments to measurable outcomes for Medicare patients.

Scheduled to begin on July 1, 2026, the 10-year initiative will support nearly two-thirds of people enrolled in Original Medicare.

ACCESS — Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions — will focus on four major clinical areas: early cardio-kidney-metabolic conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and prediabetes; established CKM conditions including diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; musculoskeletal pain; and behavioral health needs including depression and anxiety.

Announcing the model, CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a video message that ACCESS introduces a payment structure centered on results, giving clinicians more flexibility to use digital tools in chronic care management. “It offers clinicians a new predictable payment option, giving them the flexibility to use digital tools that help people take charge of their health,” he said.

Under the model, Medicare-enrolled care organizations can opt into Outcome-Aligned Payments, which reward providers for meeting defined clinical improvements such as reductions in blood pressure for patients with hypertension. Participating organizations will be expected to deliver integrated services, which may include virtual or in-person consultations, behavioral support, diagnostics, medication management, and monitoring of FDA-authorized devices.

Eligible organizations must enroll in Medicare Part B, meet licensure, HIPAA, and FDA requirements, and appoint a physician clinical director to oversee quality. CMS will maintain a public directory listing each ACCESS organization, the conditions they treat, and their performance outcomes. The agency will also publish risk-adjusted metrics to help beneficiaries make informed choices.

Abe Sutton, director of the CMS Innovation Center, said the model aims to make chronic care more accessible and better integrated with digital tools. He noted that ACCESS will help primary care physicians collaborate with technology-enabled providers, enabling continuity of care outside traditional clinic settings.

The ACCESS initiative aligns with a broader federal push to modernize healthcare data and digital infrastructure.

Earlier this year, CMS officials highlighted efforts to build a national healthcare directory and modernize systems to support secure data exchange. CMS also released its proposed 2025 physician fee schedule with updates on coverage for digital therapeutics and telehealth. Additionally, the federal CMS Interoperability Framework, announced by President Donald Trump in July, seeks to eliminate fax-based record sharing and expand app-based access to clinical data across the healthcare system.

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