Augment Ventures August 2026

Pair Team Begins Participation in CMS ACCESS Model

Augment portfolio company Pair Team is participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ACCESS Model, a new 10-year Medicare program designed to expand technology-enabled care for patients managing chronic conditions.

ACCESS—Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions—represents an important shift in how Medicare reimburses care. Rather than paying primarily for individual services or clinician time, the model provides participating organizations with recurring payments to manage qualifying conditions, with reimbursement tied to measurable improvements in patient outcomes.

This structure closely aligns with the approach Pair Team has been building since 2019. The company serves patients whose health is often shaped by challenges outside the traditional healthcare system, including housing instability, food insecurity, transportation barriers, behavioral health needs, and other social factors.

AI is increasingly central to Pair Team’s ability to deliver this care at scale. Its voice AI agent, Flora, assists with patient intake, referral coordination, and ongoing check-ins between clinical interactions. This enables care teams to engage patients more consistently while focusing their time on those requiring direct clinical or social intervention.

Participation in ACCESS provides federal validation of technology-enabled and AI-supported care models. It also gives Pair Team a pathway to expand beyond its existing Medicaid population and serve a broader group of high-need Medicare patients. Pair Team’s integration of clinical, behavioral, and social care is particularly well suited to a reimbursement model tied to measurable patient improvement.

The significance of ACCESS extends beyond Pair Team. Private payers representing approximately 165 million members across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and commercial insurance have also committed to aligning with the ACCESS payment framework. With the model expected to operate through June 2036, ACCESS could create a durable pathway for technology-enabled healthcare companies to demonstrate both clinical and economic value.

TechCrunch recently profiled Pair Team and the broader implications of the ACCESS Model. To read the full article, click here. To read Pair Team’s announcement, click here.

Pair Team is also growing its team. To view current open positions and learn more about opportunities to join the company, click here.

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Sonali joined legal and technology leaders from Simmons & Simmons, Ethos Advisory, and Paradigm Networks to discuss how thoughtful governance can help founders build investor confidence, manage risk, and prepare their companies for long-term growth.

To read more about the panel click here!

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