Virdio Health Joins CMS ACCESS Model Program for Chronic MSK

September 15, 2026 - Virdio Health, an AI-powered musculoskeletal (MSK) recovery platform, today announced its participation in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model, a new Medicare initiative designed to expand beneficiary access to technology-supported care through an outcome-based payment approach.

The announcement coincides with “Building a Healthier America: CMS ACCESS and a New Chapter in Health Innovation,” a special event featuring HHS and CMS leadership alongside national health leaders to mark the official launch of the ACCESS Model. The event, along with the launch of the CMS ACCESS Model Participant Directory, takes place Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET, and will be livestreamed at hhs.gov/live.

The ACCESS Model tests a new way of paying for care in Original Medicare. Rather than traditional fee-for-service reimbursement, participating organizations receive Outcome-Aligned Payments tied to measurable improvements in patient health. Virdio Health is participating in the chronic musculoskeletal pain track, where success is measured through validated, patient-reported improvements in pain and function, with payment calibrated to the share of patients who meet those outcome targets.

Virdio Health joins the model as a Medicare-enrolled physical therapy provider, bringing a fully virtual, AI-guided approach to chronic MSK pain recovery to Original Medicare beneficiaries for the first time through this pathway.

"The ACCESS Model reflects exactly the kind of accountability we've built from day one," said Arjun Rishi, Co-Founder and CEO of Virdio Health. "We've always believed that MSK care should be judged by the outcomes it delivers, not the number of visits it generates. CMS is now building a Medicare payment model around that same principle, and we're proud to bring our platform, our clinical team, and the outcomes we've already demonstrated to the beneficiaries who stand to benefit most. This is a meaningful step toward making effective, technology-enabled MSK recovery accessible to every Medicare beneficiary living with chronic pain, not just those who can access it today."

"For too many Medicare beneficiaries with chronic musculoskeletal pain, the barrier to recovery isn't the science, it's access," said Dr. Mehul Desai, Medical Director of Virdio Health. "What makes this work is that the clinical decisions Myra makes are ours. Our Medical Advisory Board sets and reviews the protocols she follows, and she applies them consistently in every session, with licensed physical therapists behind her for anything that falls outside them. That is how you deliver evidence-based MSK care into the home at a scale a clinic cannot reach."

What Sets Virdio Health Apart

Virdio Health’s platform is built around Myra, the company's AI recovery coach, which guides patients through personalized MSK recovery programs.

• Protocol-driven AI care. Myra leads every session and adjusts as the patient improves, applying clinical protocols set and reviewed by Virdio Health's Medical Advisory Board. Licensed physical therapists work behind the scenes, supporting care and handling clinical exceptions. Where anything suggests the program is not the right fit, Myra says so plainly and recommends an in-person provider.
• Fully virtual delivery model. Patients recover from home, removing transportation, scheduling, and mobility barriers that keep many Medicare beneficiaries with chronic MSK pain from completing traditional in-clinic PT programs.
• No cost to Medicare beneficiaries. Virdio Health waives beneficiary coinsurance for patients enrolled through the ACCESS Model, so eligible Medicare beneficiaries can access Virdio Health’s MSK recovery program at no out-of-pocket cost.

Together, these elements position Virdio Health to deliver on the ACCESS Model's core goals: expanding beneficiary access to technology-supported care, keeping that care clinically governed and accountable, and generating the transparent, risk-adjusted outcome data CMS intends to publish as part of the model.

Virdio Health's participation in the ACCESS Model builds on the company's existing work with self-funded employers, health plans, and other payers, extending its outcomes-driven approach to chronic MSK pain to Original Medicare beneficiaries for the first time. Medicare beneficiaries can check whether they qualify at myptmyra.com/access.