Medicare’s main testing ground for new care models is opening a door to AI-run chronic care. Counsel Health says it will join the ACCESS model run by the CMS Innovation Center, in the early cardio-kidney-metabolic track.
From early 2027, the company plans to deliver AI-supported management of hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia and prediabetes at no out-of-pocket cost to eligible beneficiaries in nearly every state. Its medical AI handles personalized guidance, backed by access to board-certified physicians.
The companion piece is a smart ring. Counsel is working with Oura, which will promote the program inside its app and connect members who opt in. Where patients consent to share biometric data, the clinical team can use continuous readings rather than a single office measurement. The two companies have partnered since May.
The population is the argument. More than 90% of adults over 65 live with a chronic condition, and over two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries manage several at once, yet much of the recent wave of digital health has not reached them at scale. Counsel’s chief medical officer, Rishi Khakhkhar, said chronic care has to shift from episodic visits to continuous availability.
ACCESS is a test, not a mandate. How CMS reads the results – and whether continuous monitoring earns payment – will shape whether the approach spreads.
