CMS’s ACCESS model adds an Aug. 17 start date. What Medicare patients should know
People with Original Medicare may see another entry point into a new type of chronic-care support on August 17, 2026, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services lists the next ACCESS participant start date.
That date is part of a rolling start structure for ACCESS, a voluntary 10-year CMS Innovation Center model. It is not a nationwide patient launch, and it does not mean every eligible Medicare patient will have a participating organization nearby.
What changes on August 17
CMS says the ACCESS model began its 10-year performance period on July 5, 2026. Its model page lists August 17, 2026, and October 1, 2026, as upcoming participant start dates. CMS separately says ACCESS became available as of July 6, 2026.
The model is designed to run nationally through June 30, 2036. It tests whether outcome-aligned payments can support technology-enabled chronic care alongside ordinary medical care. The next start date matters for participating organizations, but patients still must find an organization that serves their condition and location.
What services ACCESS can offer
The model has four initial clinical tracks. Early cardio-kidney-metabolic care covers hypertension or combinations of conditions such as dyslipidemia, obesity or overweight with central obesity, and prediabetes. The broader cardio-kidney-metabolic track covers diabetes, stage 3a or 3b chronic kidney disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
The other tracks cover chronic musculoskeletal pain and behavioral-health conditions including depression and anxiety. Patients may enroll in more than one track when they have qualifying conditions, but CMS says they enroll in either the early or standard cardio-kidney-metabolic track, not both.
Services may include telehealth, remote monitoring, connected devices, lifestyle support, coaching, therapy and counseling, medication management, care coordination, diagnostic support and patient education. Care is intended to complement, not replace, a patient’s regular primary care.
Who can enroll
ACCESS is being tested in Original Medicare. Eligible patients generally must have Medicare Parts A and B as their primary coverage and a qualifying condition. People enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or the Medicare hospice benefit are excluded from the federal model.
Medicare Advantage organizations may independently offer similar outcome-aligned arrangements, but their members are not enrolled in the federal ACCESS model. If you have Medicare Advantage, ask your plan whether it offers a similar program.
Patients sign up directly with a participating health care provider. A primary-care or other clinician may refer or help with enrollment, but direct enrollment is also allowed. Enrollment does not change other coverage, Medicare rights or the ability to see other Medicare providers.
Why rural availability is part of the test
CMS says technology-supported care may help people in communities with fewer local care options, including rural areas. The model includes a fixed rural payment adjustment tied to distribution costs for connected blood-pressure devices in the early and standard cardio-kidney-metabolic tracks.
That adjustment is a payment mechanism for participating organizations. It does not guarantee that rural patients will receive a device or that an ACCESS service will be available in every community.
What patients may pay
Patient costs vary by track. CMS lists the early cardio-kidney-metabolic track as free or $6 per month, the standard cardio-kidney-metabolic track as free or $7 per month, and the behavioral-health and musculoskeletal tracks as free or $3 per month. Participating organizations may uniformly waive patient cost-sharing.
Patients should confirm the exact amount, services included, device requirements, data-sharing practices and communication with their regular clinician before enrolling. The listed amounts are not universal bills for every participant.
What remains unproven
CMS says the ACCESS Directory is coming soon and will allow searches by condition and location. Beginning in winter 2028, CMS plans to publish risk-adjusted outcomes for participating organizations in the directory and on Data.CMS.gov.
That leaves patients with limited comparative information during the early phase. CMS is testing whether the model improves health outcomes and reduces avoidable Medicare spending; the model has not yet demonstrated nationwide savings or guaranteed access.
For now, Original Medicare beneficiaries with a qualifying condition can ask their clinician about ACCESS or review CMS and Medicare.gov resources. Before enrolling, verify that the organization participates in ACCESS and ask what track applies, what services are included, what the patient will pay and how updates will be shared with the regular care team.
Sources
- CMS: ACCESS guidance for primary-care providers and referring clinicians
- American Hospital Association News: CMS to launch payment model for expansion of technology-supported care access
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