Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program
Status Update (11.7.25) - Oklahoma has officially submitted its application for RHT Program funding to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). A decision regarding approved projects and award amounts is anticipated to be announced by December 31, 2025. This webpage will be updated as implementation details for the program in Oklahoma become available.
Shaping the Future of Rural Health in Oklahoma
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted into law on July 4, 2025, established a $50 billion fund, called the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
- Learn more about the RHTP on the CMS RHTP website.
- For questions, please email OklahomaRHTP@health.ok.gov.
Make rural America healthy again
Support rural health innovations and new access points to promote preventative health and address root causes of diseases. Projects will use evidence-based, outcomes-driven interventions to improve disease prevention, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and prenatal care.
Sustainable access
Help rural providers become long-term access points for care by improving efficiency and sustainability. With RHT Program support, rural facilities work together—or with high-quality regional systems—to share or coordinate operations, technology, primary and specialty care, and emergency services.
Workforce development
Attract and retain a high-skilled health care workforce by strengthening recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural communities. Help rural providers practice at the top of their license and develop a broader set of providers to serve a rural community’s needs, such as community health workers, pharmacists, and individuals trained to help patients navigate the healthcare system.
Oklahoma envisions a future where every community—no matter how small or remote—has access to high-quality, locally grounded care that is connected through technology, supported by regional collaboration, and sustained by a strong rural workforce. Rural healthcare will remain financially stable, driven by innovation, and resilient for future generations.
Innovative care
Spark the growth of innovative care models to improve health outcomes, coordinate care, and promote flexible care arrangements. Develop and implement payment mechanisms incentivizing providers or Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to reduce health care costs, improve quality of care, and shift care to lower cost settings.
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. Projects support access to remote care, improve data sharing, strengthen cybersecurity, and invest in emerging technologies
Initiatives:
- Innovating the Care Model
- Moving Upstream
- Facilitating Regional Collaboration
- Shifting to Value
- Growing the Next Generation of Rural Talent
- Building Health Data Utility
Innovating the Care Model
Implement care delivery models that extend preventative, primary, and specialty care to rural residents.
Moving Upstream
Invest in prevention, management of chronic conditions, and wellness initiatives.
Facilitating Regional Collaboration
Invest in a statewide rural regionalization plan, including prioritizing shifts in care models.
Shifting to Value
Implement value-based payment options for primary care and behavioral health through practice enablement and clinical extension pilots.
Growing the Next Generation of Rural Talent
Build recruiting pipelines through “Grow Your Own” programs and incentives for rural practice.
Building Health Data Utility
Expand access to, use of, and applications for the state Health Information Exchange through investment in core technology.
Sustainability Plan
Oklahoma’s RHT initiatives are designed to create lasting impact beyond the grant period. Initiatives and associated activities will be sustained beyond the five-year RHT Program period to ensure lasting change.
CMS Strategic Goals:
- Make Rural America Healthy Again
- Sustainable Access
- Workforce Development
- Innovative Care
- Tech Innovation
For more information visit the CMS RHTP website.
States must use RHT Program funds for three or more of the approved uses of funds:
- Promoting evidence-based, measurable interventions to improve prevention and chronic disease management.
- Providing payments to health care providers for the provision of health care items or services, as specified by the Administrator.
- Promoting consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for the prevention and management of chronic diseases.
- Providing training and technical assistance for the development and adoption of technology-enabled solutions that improve care delivery in rural hospitals, including remote monitoring, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies.
- Recruiting and retaining clinical workforce talent to rural areas, with commitments to serve rural communities for a minimum of 5 years.
- Providing technical assistance, software, and hardware for significant information technology advances designed to improve efficiency, enhance cybersecurity capability development, and improve patient health outcomes.
- Assisting rural communities to right size their health care delivery systems by identifying needed preventative, ambulatory, pre-hospital, emergency, acute inpatient care, outpatient care, and post-acute care service lines.
- Supporting access to opioid use disorder treatment services (as defined in section 1861(jjj)(1)), other substance use disorder treatment services, and mental health services.
- Developing projects that support innovative models of care that include value-based care arrangements and alternative payment models, as appropriate.
- Additional uses designed to promote sustainable access to high quality rural health care services, as determined by the Administrator:
- Capital expenditures and infrastructure: Investing in existing rural health care facility buildings and infrastructure, including minor building alterations or renovations and equipment upgrades to ensure long-term overhead and upkeep costs are commensurate with patient volume, subject to restrictions in the funding policies and limitations.
- Fostering collaboration: Initiating, fostering, and strengthening local and regional strategic partnerships between rural facilities and other health care providers to promote quality improvement, improve financial stability of rural facilities, and expand access to care.
FAQs:
The rural health transformation plan must describe how the state would use funds from the program to:
- Improve access to hospitals, other health care providers, and health care items and services furnished to rural residents of the state
- Improve health care outcomes of rural residents of the state
- Prioritize the use of new and emerging technologies that emphasize prevention and chronic disease management
- Initiate, foster and strengthen local and regional strategic partnerships between rural hospitals and other health care providers to promote measurable quality improvement, increase financial stability, maximize economies of scale, and share best practices in care delivery
- Enhance economic opportunity for, and the supply of, health care clinicians through enhanced recruitment and training
- Prioritize data and technology driven solutions that help rural hospitals and other rural health care providers furnish high-quality health care services as close to a patient’s home as is possible
- Outline strategies to manage long-term financial solvency and operating models of rural hospitals in the state
- Identify specific causes driving the accelerating rate of stand-alone rural hospitals at risk of closure, conversion or service reduction.
Annual allotments distributed to states would remain available for use through the end of the second succeeding FY. Beginning in 2028, amounts allotted but unused would be redistributed in accordance with a methodology specified by the CMS Administrator. Redistributed amounts would remain available for use by the state through the end of the second succeeding fiscal year. States would not be required to match awarded allotments.
Funds could only be used for allowable activities, such as:
- Promoting evidence-based, measurable interventions to improve prevention and chronic disease management
- Providing payments to health care providers for the provision of health care items or services, as specified by the Administrator
- Promoting consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for the prevention and management of chronic diseases
- Providing training and technical assistance for the development and adoption of technology-enabled solutions that improve care delivery in rural hospitals, including remote monitoring, robotics, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies
- Recruiting and retaining clinical workforce talent to rural areas, with commitments to serve rural communities for a minimum of 5 years
- Providing technical assistance, software, and hardware for significant information technology advances designed to improve efficiency, enhance cybersecurity capability development and improve patient health outcomes
- Assisting rural communities to right-size their health care delivery systems by identifying needed preventative, ambulatory, pre-hospital, emergency, acute inpatient care, outpatient care and post-acute care service lines
- Supporting access to opioid use disorder treatment services, other substance use disorder treatment services, and mental health services
- Developing projects that support innovative models of care that include value-based care arrangements and alternative payment models, as appropriate
- Additional uses designed to promote sustainable access to high quality rural health care services, as determined by the Administrator
- Administrative: 10% of total
- Infrastructure: 20% of total
- Direct provider payment (incl. uncompensated care): 15% of total
- EMR / EHR system replacement: 5% of total if replacing existing system
- Tech innovation fund (for startups): lesser of 10% of total or $20M
