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Medicare's new payment model is built for AI. Most of the tech world has no idea

Medicare's new payment model is built for AI, and most of the tech world has no idea | TechCrunch

techcrunch.com

May 13, 2026

5 min read

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Summary

Pair Team has been accepted into the ACCESS program, a Medicare initiative aimed at testing AI-driven medical care. This program includes 150 participants selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Key Takeaways

Pair Team was accepted into the ACCESS program, a Medicare initiative testing an AI-driven payment model that rewards health outcomes rather than activities, set to launch on July 5.
The ACCESS program allows for payments to be made for AI agents that monitor patients between visits, addressing a gap in traditional Medicare reimbursement.
Pair Team employs around 850 clinical professionals and has developed a community-integrated care model that has shown significant reductions in avoidable hospital visits.
Pair Team has deployed a voice AI agent named Flora to manage patient interactions, improving engagement and care coordination.

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Medicare's new payment model is built for AI. Most of the tech world has no idea ↗

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

Medicare's new payment model incentivizes the use of AI, potentially leading to more efficient healthcare delivery and better patient outcomes.
The integration of AI in healthcare could provide essential companionship for patients, enhancing mental health support in ways traditional methods cannot.

Concerns

The risk of cherry-picking patients under the new payment model raises ethical concerns about equitable healthcare access and treatment fairness.
Using AI as a substitute for personal interactions in therapy is viewed as a dangerous practice that could harm vulnerable individuals.