Eligible Original Medicare patients can now access Nerva’s gut-brain therapy program at no out-of-pocket cost
PR Newswire
NEW YORK, July 8, 2026
NEW YORK, July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eligible US patients with Original Medicare can now access Nerva, the gut-brain therapy program for IBS and other gut-brain disorders, at no out-of-pocket cost through the CMS ACCESS Model. Mindset Health, the company behind Nerva, began participating in the model on July 5, 2026.
The CMS ACCESS Model (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) is a voluntary Medicare payment model for tech-enabled chronic care from the CMS Innovation Center. Where traditional Medicare pays for each visit or service, ACCESS rewards programs based on whether they help people get better. The model is designed for evidence-based, technology-supported programs.
Mindset Health participates in ACCESS through its behavioral health and musculoskeletal care tracks, both relevant to people with IBS and other gut-brain disorders. Eligibility is based on a qualifying condition in those tracks, not on IBS itself.
US patients aged 65+ who aren’t eligible through ACCESS may still be able to access Nerva at no out-of-pocket cost through another access route, confirmed at sign-up. Mindset Health has a large real-world study underway on Nerva’s use in adults aged 65 and older, with the research accepted for presentation at Australian Gastroenterology Week (AGW 2026).
“There are millions of people on Medicare living with gut-brain disorders who have never been offered a program that addresses the gut-brain connection directly. With ACCESS, those people now have access to care that was out of reach – not because the evidence was missing, but because the payment model had not caught up.”
– Alex Naoumidis, Nerva Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Eligibility is confirmed by a short check at sign-up, and eligible patients can confirm how they qualify at start.nervahealth.com/eligibility.
About Nerva
Nerva is a gut-brain therapy program that helps people manage IBS and other gut-brain disorders, combining CBT-informed coaching, gut-directed hypnotherapy, and breathing techniques. Brain-gut behavior therapies have strong clinical evidence and are recommended by leading gastroenterology organizations.[1] Nerva is research-backed and highly active in ongoing research, most recently partnering with Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai, and Monash University. In a peer-reviewed trial of Nerva in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (2025), 81% of people saw significant improvements in symptom management.[2]
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For more detailed information, see our blog post.
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1. Brain-gut behavior therapy is recommended for IBS in the ACG Clinical Guideline. Lacy BE, Pimentel M, Brenner DM, et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol. 2021. |
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2. 81% of people (vs 63% on an active control) met the trial’s primary endpoint (p=0.002), with improvements broadly maintained at six months. Anderson EJ, Peters SL, Gibson PR, Halmos EP. Comparison of digitally delivered gut-directed hypnotherapy program with an active control for irritable bowel syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol. 2025;120(2):440-448. |
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Nerva is a self-guided program that may help people self-manage a diagnosed disorder of the gut-brain interaction (DGBI). It has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Eligible US patients aged 65+ may access Nerva at no out-of-pocket cost through the CMS ACCESS Model, insurer coverage, or Mindset-sponsored access; eligibility and the applicable route are confirmed at sign-up. Nerva is not administered by Medicare or the government, and CMS does not endorse Nerva beyond Mindset Health’s participation in the CMS ACCESS Model. |
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SOURCE Mindset Health
