STAT+: Medicare to expand its pilot that pays for technology to manage chronic diseases — SkimNews
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- Medicare regulators announced Tuesday they will expand the ACCESS model to cover substance use disorder, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tobacco use, and longer-term musculoskeletal support
- The original ACCESS pilot, announced last year, covered diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic musculoskeletal pain, depression, and anxiety, and introduced outcome-aligned payments that pay providers more when patients improve
- New condition tracks under the expansion are scheduled to begin in spring 2027, according to officials
- About 3 in 4 people on Medicare will be eligible for at least one ACCESS track under the broadened model
- The pilot had "just barely gotten underway" before officials moved to widen it, per the announcement
Why it matters: By nearly doubling the number of eligible conditions, CMS is putting roughly 75% of Medicare beneficiaries within reach of technology-enabled chronic disease management — and approved vendors gain a much larger addressable market when new tracks go live in spring 2027.
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