What the New Medicare ACCESS Model Means for People Living With Kidney Disease

National Kidney Foundation (NKF) staff attended “Modernizing America’s Care for Better Health,” a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) event held on December 4. At this event, CMS introduced a new Medicare care model called ACCESS.

The ACCESS Model, which stands for Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions, is a new way Medicare plans to support people living with long-term health conditions, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). The model focuses on improving health outcomes and expanding the safe use of digital health tools to help people get care earlier and more consistently.

NKF welcomed the chance to learn more about the ACCESS Model directly from CMS and to understand how it could improve care for people with kidney disease and their families.

The Medicare ACCESS Model is a new 10-year program created by the CMS Innovation Center. It is designed to improve care for people with Medicare who are living with chronic conditions, including:

• Kidney disease 
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes

Instead of paying for each doctor visit or service, ACCESS focuses on patient outcomes. This means Medicare will support care models that help people stay healthier over time, often by using technology to monitor and manage conditions.

The ACCESS Model aims to:

• Help people reach their health goals by improving access to helpful digital health tools
• Give healthcare providers better ways to offer technology-based care
• Make sure health technology is used safely, fairly, and in a coordinated way
• Increase transparency by sharing reports on how technology is used in care

For people at risk of kidney disease or living with early-stage CKD, early diagnosis and regular monitoring can slow disease progression and help protect kidney function.

The ACCESS Model rewards improvements in health measures that are closely tied to kidney health, including:

• Better blood pressure control
• Improved diabetes management
• Use and reporting of key kidney tests, like eGFR and uACR

This approach reflects what NKF has long supported: finding kidney disease earlier, treating it sooner, and coordinating care across the healthcare system instead of waiting until people become very sick.

ACCESS also aligns with recommendations from the Coalition for Kidney Health, which supports care models that use technology to help people stay healthier for longer.

Digital health tools are becoming more common in everyday healthcare. 

Many people now use:

• Devices that track health information from home
• Smartphone apps to manage symptoms or medications
• Virtual visits with healthcare providers
• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools to learn about health conditions and test results

Under the ACCESS Model, Medicare would create clearer pathways to cover safe and effective digital health tools that support chronic care.

As more people use AI and digital tools, there are also concerns about accuracy, access, and ease of use. ACCESS includes steps to help ensure that these tools are appropriate, reliable, and understandable for patients.

Opportunities for Earlier CKD Detection and Better Care

The ACCESS Model creates opportunities to expand programs like NKF’s CKDintercept initiative, which helps primary care teams find and manage CKD earlier.
In healthcare systems where CKDintercept is used, more people receive kidney testing and diagnoses. This shows how technology can improve care when it is used well.

Challenges Around Access, Equity, and Technology Use

NKF also recognizes challenges that must be addressed for ACCESS to work for everyone:

• Not all patients have reliable internet access or digital devices
• Some tools are hard to use or not offered in multiple languages
• Healthcare providers may need more support to adopt new technology
• Health data systems do not always share information easily

To be successful, ACCESS must address these gaps, support healthcare teams, and fit smoothly into existing chronic care systems.

ACCESS is one of the largest federal efforts to support technology-based care for chronic conditions.

The National Kidney Foundation supports the model’s focus on early diagnosis, better care coordination, and improved health outcomes. NKF will continue working with CMS to ensure that patient experience, equity, and kidney health remain priorities as the ACCESS Model moves forward.

Read NKF’s full statement on the ACCESS Model and kidney health.

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