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October 4, 2026

Takeaways from the most recent news in the technology and policies shaping healthcare.

Government

CMS Expands ACCESS Model to Four New Chronic Conditions

By Healthcare Technology News ·

CMS is widening the reach of its ACCESS Model, an outcomes-based payment program that launched in July with 160 participating providers. Starting in spring 2027, the model will add four new chronic conditions: heart failure, COPD, substance use disorders and tobacco cessation, according to MedCity News.

The expansion changes the scale of the program. Once the new tracks go live, roughly three in four Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for at least one, turning ACCESS from a targeted pilot into a broad test of paying providers based on patient outcomes rather than volume of services.

For providers, the additions cover some of the most common and costly conditions in the Medicare population. Heart failure and COPD drive frequent hospitalizations, while substance use and tobacco use are major upstream cost drivers. The move signals CMS's continued push toward value-based arrangements and gives participating organizations more room to build outcome-focused care around chronic disease management.

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More in Government

Government

Ashish Jha Warns AI Is Lowering the Bar for Bioweapons

Ashish Jha warns in STAT News that AI is eroding the barriers that kept biological weapons rare, and defenses will take years the world cannot spare.

Why it matters: If AI makes bioweapons easier to build faster than defenses can be developed, the risk to public health and national security grows sharply.

Government

AMA, AHA Push to Exempt Doctors From $103K H-1B Fee

The AMA and AHA are asking DHS to exempt clinicians from a proposed $103,265 H-1B visa fee they say would gut physician recruiting in underserved areas.

Why it matters: Hospitals depend on foreign-trained physicians to staff rural and underserved communities, and a six-figure visa fee could deepen existing shortages.

Government

DOJ Accuses UCSF Medical School of Racial Discrimination

The DOJ's Civil Rights Division accused UCSF's medical school of race-based discrimination in admissions from 2023 to 2025, the latest in a wave of federal findings against medical schools.

Why it matters: Federal scrutiny of medical school admissions could reshape how the next generation of physicians is selected and the diversity of the clinical workforce.