As part of a new effort to modernize and strengthen chronic care management in the U.S., The Cigna Group has signed the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model Aligned Payer Pledge developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center (CMMI).

The ACCESS model aims to streamline chronic care management and improve access to care for people with Traditional Medicare by prioritizing health outcomes and enabling clinicians to more readily offer innovative technology-supported care.

The ACCESS Model Aligned Payer Pledge signed by The Cigna Group and others complements the ACCESS model by committing them to implement an outcome-aligned payment option for technology-enabled chronic care, even if the payment option is not for Traditional Medicare.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 60% of U.S. adults have at least one chronic disease today while 90% of the nation’s annual health spending is linked to chronic physical and mental health conditions. CMMI’s stated goals for the ACCESS model as well as the aligned payer pledge are to give patients more options to help them meet their health goals, give providers new partners to help them co-manage their patients’ health, and provide a way to pay care organizations developing technology-supported services in Traditional Medicare in the model and in other markets through the aligned payer pledge.

Aligning payment innovation with patient outcomes

As part of the pledge, The Cigna Group joins other major payers to help implement an outcome-aligned payment option for technology-enabled chronic care aligned with CMMI’s ACCESS model principles. A payment approach will be considered “ACCESS-aligned” if it adopts the core ACCESS model principles of:

• Predictable, recurring payments.
• Accountability for clinical improvement or control.
• Flexibility in care delivery that facilitates technology-enabled care.
• Coordination with primary care and referring clinicians.

Our commitment to improving the patient experience

By joining the ACCESS Model Aligned Payer Pledge, The Cigna Group is reinforcing its long-standing commitment to improving health outcomes and removing barriers to care.

The pledge aligns with The Cigna Group’s own Commitments to Better and supports our focus on outcomes, innovation and improving the patient experience. This also includes The Cigna Group’s participation in the CMS Health Technology Ecosystem – a CMS initiative launched in 2025 to foster patient-centered innovations and collaboration across the health care industry.