Healthcare Snapshot - December 2025

Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) is a new 10-year voluntary program starting July 1, 2026, designed to improve chronic disease management for Original Medicare beneficiaries.

What’s New?

• Focus Areas: Cardiometabolic & kidney health, musculoskeletal pain, and behavioral health (depression, anxiety).
• Payment Approach: Providers receive predictable, fixed payments tied to measurable outcomes—shifting from fee-for-service to value-based care.
• Care Delivery: Flexible options including virtual visits, remote monitoring, and digital health tools for continuous, proactive management.

Participation Details:

• Applications open January 2026; first cohort begins July 2026.
• Eligible participants: Medicare Part B–enrolled providers who can share electronic care plans and integrate with Health Information Exchanges.

Why It Matters:

ACCESS promotes innovation, better coordination, and improved outcomes for patients with chronic conditions.

Learn more here.

When a social worker first connected with a patient, she was facing overwhelming challenges—severe anxiety, agoraphobia, and the grief of losing her partner. Their conversation was emotional and heartfelt, filled with tears and hope.

Afterward, the social worker shared grief support resources and provided contact information for a psychiatrist accepting new patients. For a while, it seemed like nothing had changed. Then, the patient reached out with an update that warmed everyone’s hearts: she had connected with the psychiatrist, started medication, and joined a grief support group.

Her words were a powerful reminder that even one act of care can make a lasting difference.