The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center, on Dec.1, released a new voluntary alternative payment model that will test outcome-aligned payment approaches to expand traditional Medicare patients’ access to technology-supported care to improve health and manage chronic disease. The Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model will test payment to Part B-enrolled providers who meet clinical targets for managing their patients’ qualifying conditions across four clinical tracks: early cardio-kidney-metabolic conditions, cardio-kidney-metabolic conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, and behavioral health conditions. The CMS will test complementary payment incentives to traditional Medicare fee-for-service payment to better support novel technology-supported care, like telehealth and Food and Drug Administration-authorized devices or software, that can help people manage chronic conditions with continuous support beyond their doctor’s office.
The CMS will begin accepting applications from providers who participate in Medicare Part B in January 2026 for the new 10-year voluntary model. Initial applications are due April 1, 2026, to start participating in the model July 1. Additional model details and the full request for applications are forthcoming, and the agency will accept applications after April 2026 for consideration for a Jan. 1, 2027, model start.