12/18/2025

CMS Rural Health Transformation Awards Expected by Year’s End

What You Need To Know

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is preparing to announce awards from the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, with Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz stating decisions will be released by December 31, as required by law.
• All states submitted applications, but only 38 states have publicly released full plans. The remaining states have released limited summaries or no public materials to date.
• Among the applications made public, no state requested more than $1 billion, though many proposals cluster close to that amount or avoid naming a specific request.
• Consulting firm Sellers Dorsey has compiled a detailed, state-by-state review of publicly available plans in its Rural Health Transformation Program Summary of State RHTP Applications, which outlines common themes such as workforce development, telehealth expansion, behavioral health capacity, and rural hospital stabilization.

Ohio’s Key Transformation Priorities

Ohio is applying for its share of the federal $50 billion Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program to support a multi-year strategy to strengthen rural health care access, workforce, quality, and infrastructure.

• Preventing chronic disease and improving population health
  Targeting community-based strategies to reduce risk factors and improve health outcomes.
• Strengthening care delivery in rural Ohio
  Expanding services in rural communities through models that integrate primary, behavioral, and preventive care.
• Workforce development & retention
  Supporting rural workforce pipelines, recruitment incentives, and training to retain clinicians and support staff.
• Technology & data infrastructure
  Modernizing systems — including telehealth, electronic health records, and data sharing — to improve rural care coordination.
• Sustainable models tied to Medicaid and local systems
  Aligning program investments with existing state Medicaid initiatives and long-term sustainability strategies.

What Happens Next

CMS is under a statutory deadline to announce awards by the end of the year. Once decisions are released, states will move quickly into implementation, including issuing requests for proposals, establishing regional governance structures, and identifying provider partners.