CMS has selected more than 150 healthcare organizations to participate in its Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions, or ACCESS, model. The voluntary 10-year model aims to expand access to digital health technology for chronic disease management.
The CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) announced the model in December 2025. The model creates a new payment option, called Outcome-Aligned Payments (OAPs), that provides recurring payments to organizations for managing chronic conditions, with the total payment being tied to patient outcome measures. Participating organizations are expected to offer "integrated, technology-supported care," which can be provided in person, virtually, asynchronously or through other technology-enabled methods, according to the CMS website.
Applicants accepted for the first performance period set to begin on July 5, 2026, include Withings Medical Group, Concert Health, Slingshot AI, HealthTap, Verily Health, Noom, Story Health Partners and Weight Watchers.
Most of the selected organizations have not served Medicare beneficiaries in the past; however, they must adhere to strict guidelines to participate in the model, including enrolling in Medicare Part B as providers or suppliers and complying with data privacy and security, outcome reporting and other quality standards.
The model includes four tracks, with each one focused on a different chronic disease: hypertension, diabetes, chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression. The outcome-based measures include condition-specific targets, such as improvements in blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c and lipids.
While digital health leaders view the model as a promising payment approach for technology-enabled chronic care, some expressed concerns about the proposed reimbursement rates. Through Dec. 31, 2027, participants will receive between $180 and $360 for the first year of a patient's care in a given clinical track. They will also receive between $90 to $210 for the continued care management beyond the initial period.
Still, healthcare stakeholders are largely on board with the model. Earlier this year, several major payers, including Blue Shield of California, CVS Health, Humana, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna, voluntarily pledged to adopt an outcomes-based payment structure aligned to the ACCESS model.
CMS is also extending the initial application deadline to May 15, 2026, to allow more organizations to participate in ACCESS when it launches in July.
Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.
