Rural Health Transformation in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma

Learn how the national Rural Health Transformation Program is being implemented in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was established by the passing of Public Law 119-21 on July 4th, 2025. This landmark $50 billion federal investment will be utilized to reshape healthcare across rural America, ensuring that all citizens have access to quality, affordable health care options. States are using funding to improve infrastructure and create funding opportunities for local organizations. The key strategic goals of the RHTP include:

• Make rural America healthy again. Support rural health innovations and new access points to promote preventative health and address root causes of diseases.
• Sustainable access. Help rural providers become long-term access points for care by improving efficiency and sustainability. 
• Workforce development. Attract and retain a high-skilled health care workforce by strengthening recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural communities.
• Innovative care. Spark the growth of innovative care models to improve health outcomes, coordinate care, and promote flexible care arrangements.
• Tech Innovation. Foster use of innovative technologies that promote efficient care delivery, data security, and access to digital health tools by rural facilities, providers, and patients.

All 50 states applied for RHTP, and all 50 states were approved to share the $50 billion. Starting in fiscal year 2026 and ending in fiscal year 2030, $10 billion will be available every year. 50% of these funds will be distributed evenly between the states, and 50% of it will be allocated by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) based on factors such as rural population, the proportion of rural health facilities in the state, and the situation of certain hospitals in the state.

Each approved state will decide how to distribute their funds in a way that meets at least three of the usage guidelines set by the RHTP bill. These guidelines include: 

• Prevention and Chronic Disease: Funding programs that use evidence-based methods to prevent and manage chronic conditions.
• Provider Payments: Making payments to healthcare providers for services, particularly as part of new, innovative payment models. 
• Consumer Tech Solutions: Promoting technology that patients can use themselves to manage their health. 
• Training and Technical Assistance: Helping rural hospitals adopt advanced technologies like remote monitoring, robotics, or artificial intelligence. 
• Workforce: Recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in rural areas, with a requirement that they serve in the community for at least five years. 
• IT Advances: Providing funds for significant upgrades to information technology, including software, hardware, and cybersecurity. 
• Appropriate Care Availability: Assisting rural communities in determining the right mix of healthcare services they need to be sustainable. 
• Behavioral Health: Supporting access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. 
• Innovative Care: Developing new models of care, including value-based payment arrangements. 
• Fostering Collaboration: Creating strategic partnerships between rural facilities and other providers to improve quality, financial stability, and access to care.

For information about the federal side of the RHTP, see this official webpage from Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. To learn about state-level Rural Health Transformation Programs in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma (PulseTRC’s region), see below…