Statement from Dr. Jesse Roach, SVP of Government Relations for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) on the introduction of new CMS plan
Washington, DC – (December 4, 2025) – “The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) for launching their new ACCESS Model. By expanding access to new technology-supported care options and aligning Medicare payment with outcomes, this model has the potential to deliver more coordinated, patient-centered care and help prevent patients from progressing to kidney failure by focusing on upstream detection, diagnosis and treatment of CKD.
This approach is directly aligned with what NKF and the Coalition for Kidney Health have urged CMS to pursue: upstream, technology-enabled models that support early detection, risk stratification, and integrated care of kidney disease and related cardiovascular and metabolic conditions. The coalition’s recent recommendations called for population-health approaches, use of digital tools, and better use of kidney testing to keep people healthier for longer, all concepts reflected in the ACCESS framework.
ACCESS also creates an important opportunity to amplify CKDintercept, NKF’s initiative to improve CKD testing, recognition, and management in primary care. Proven strategies, like CKDintercept, that combine guideline-based testing, clinician education, and patient activation can help ACCESS participants meet their outcome goals while giving patients earlier, more effective kidney care.
There are still important questions to answer as CMS implements this model. How will CMS ensure equitable access to technology-supported care? How will they avoid widening the digital divide for rural and low-income patients, and support providers? NKF will review the details of the model carefully and will continue to advocate on behalf patients, our volunteers, members, and clinicians to make sure ACCESS delivers on its promise for all patients.
We thank CMS and CMMI for their continued commitment to improving care for people with, and at risk for, kidney disease, and we stand ready to serve as a partner as the ACCESS Model moves forward.”
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, CKD remains an under-recognized public health burden that impacts 1 in 7 adults, and 90 percent of those affected are unaware of their condition. Approximately 1 in 3 U.S. adults are at risk for CKD, but less than 20% are assessed with guideline-recommended testing, eGFR and uACR. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to develop kidney failure. Hispanic and Native American people experience kidney failure at approximately double the rate of White people.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.
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