Article
What CMS announced
On April 13, CMS said it had accepted more than 150 organizations into the first group of the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions Model, known as ACCESS. The model offers technology-supported care for people in traditional Medicare with conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic pain and depression. CMS extended the initial application deadline to May 15 to bring in more participants before the July 5 launch.
ACCESS is designed as a 10-year model built on what CMS calls outcome-aligned payments. Participants receive recurring payments to manage qualifying conditions, but full payment depends on how many of their patients meet measurable targets, such as better blood pressure control. Organizations must be enrolled in Medicare Part B and name a physician clinical director. Referring and primary care clinicians can receive progress updates and bill for reviewing them and coordinating care.
Why health systems should watch it
CMS’s published list of accepted applicants is dominated by physician practices, virtual care companies and behavioral health providers. Several are multistate companies that can enroll patients in your market without a local clinic. That has three effects for health systems.
- Competition for attention: A patient with diabetes or depression may now receive ongoing coaching and monitoring from a company that is not part of your network.
- Effects on value-based contracts: If your system runs an accountable care organization, outside ACCESS organizations may be treating some of your attributed patients. Track how that affects quality and spending.
- Coordination gaps: Medication changes and care plans made outside your electronic health record can cause errors unless updates flow back to your clinicians.
Options for leaders
Systems with strong employed primary care and virtual care programs could apply directly, since the deadline is still open. Others may prefer to partner with a high-performing ACCESS organization and use the co-management payment to keep their physicians in the loop. Either way, leaders should ask their population health teams to map which participants operate locally, decide how referrals will work and set expectations for data sharing.
The model also signals where Medicare is heading. Paying for results in chronic disease, rather than for visits, rewards organizations that can show measurable improvement at scale.
Archive entry for Apr 15, 2026, added Nov. 11, 2026.