The American Medical Association is applauding CMS’ new technology-supported care model for Medicare patients with chronic disease.
The ACCESS Model, short for Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions, will assess whether giving clinicians more flexibility to use technology-enabled care — and tying payment to actual patient outcomes — can improve chronic disease management for Medicare patients while reducing costs.
“ACCESS is an important step toward bringing new, effective digital health tools into everyday care for Medicare patients,” AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, said in a Dec. 3 statement. “For too long, outdated payment barriers have made it difficult for physicians to use new tools that can improve care for common chronic conditions. This new model has the potential to give clinicians more flexibility, strengthen care teams, and — most importantly — help patients live healthier lives.”
The application period for the ACCESS model is Jan. 12 to April 1, 2026, and the model is set to launch July 1.
