Resources
for You and Your Team
Is the ACCESS Model the Secret to Tech-Driven Care Management Maintenance?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ACCESS Model may seem like a reimbursement downgrade from traditional Virtual Care Management—but it could be the missing link in tech-enabled chronic care maintenance. Instead of rewarding episodic, labor-intensive interventions, ACCESS supports continuous, AI-enhanced oversight that keeps stabilized patients engaged and reduces readmission risk. Here’s why this shift could redefine scalability in value-based care.
New CMS & FDA Innovation Models: What ACCESS, TEMPO, and MAHA ELEVATE Mean for Digital Health Innovators
CMS and FDA introduced ACCESS, TEMPO, and MAHA ELEVATE, three major innovation models that signal a shift in how federal agencies are thinking about digital health, care management, and reimbursement. In this webinar, Nixon Law Group’s attorneys break down what each model does, what types of entities can participate, and where we see concrete opportunities for digital health companies to engage.
CMS Announces MAHA ELEVATE Model: A New Opportunity to Shape Reimbursement for Lifestyle, Functional, and Whole-Person Care Services
CMS’s new MAHA ELEVATE Model offers $100M in funding to evaluate evidence-based lifestyle, functional, and whole-person care interventions not currently covered by Medicare. Launching in 2026, this initiative creates a pathway for healthcare innovators, digital health companies, and care organizations to influence future Medicare coverage and reimbursement for chronic disease prevention and management.
CMS Launches ACCESS Model: The Tools Directory Opportunity for Digital Health Vendors
The CMS ACCESS Model is a 10-year Medicare payment demonstration promoting outcomes-based reimbursement for chronic care management. For digital health vendors—from remote monitoring and wearables to interoperability platforms—the accompanying ACCESS Tools Directory creates a critical, new entry point into the Medicare ecosystem. This post breaks down the shift to Outcome-Aligned Payments (OAPs) and provides a compliance-forward strategy for listing your technology in the Directory to gain visibility and establish trust with Access Model Organizations (AMOs) before the July 1, 2026, launch.
CMS Sharpens Focus on “Upstream Drivers” of Health in the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The final 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) solidifies Medicare’s shift toward paying for the assessment and mitigation of "upstream drivers" (e.g., nutrition, housing, social support). Discover how the revised HCPCS G0136 for physical activity/nutrition assessment and the broadened HCPCS G0019 descriptor for Community Health Integration (CHI) unlock new, aligned reimbursement streams for digital health and comprehensive care models. Also, learn how MFTs and MHCs can now initiate CHI services.