Rural Health Transformation Program

Public Webinar

October 30, 2025

Agenda

RHTP Application Overview

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) offers $50B funding over 5 years to improve access to healthcare in rural America. Only states can apply, and each must submit a detailed plan aligned with five strategic goals:

This outlines eligible funding usage & funding restrictions under CMS guidance and notes that Arizona must select at least 3 eligible activities as part of the RHTP application:

1. Providing IT tools and upgrades
2. Right-sizing rural health systems
3. Improving access to mental health and substance use care
4. Developing innovative care models
5. Ensuring sustainable access to high-quality rural healthcare
6. Training and technical assistance
7. Providing payments to healthcare providers
8. Promoting consumer-facing technologies
9. Promoting evidence-based interventions
10. Recruiting & retaining clinical workforce

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RHTP Funding Overview

Eligible Funding Usage

Funding Restrictions*

• New construction
• Meeting matching requirements for any other federal funds or local entities
• Replacement of payment for reimbursable clinical services or changes to existing fee schedules
• Provider payments cannot exceed 15% of total funding per budget year
• 5% limitation per budget year for EMR replacement if system is in place as of 9/1/25
• Broadband infrastructure
• Clinician salaries for facilities that subject clinicians to non-compete agreements.
• Meals, including medically tailored meals
• Supplanting existing State, local, tribal, or private funding of infrastructure or services.

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*The list is non-exhaustive

5

Arizona closed its RFI on September 30, 2025, collected and collated close to 300 respondent submissions that were incorporated into the RHTP application.

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Arizona will submit RHTP Application on November 5, 2025.

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H.R.1 passed on July 4, 2025, establishing provisions for the Rural Health Transformation Program.

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Arizona released a Request for Information (RFI) on September 5, 2025, to gather input from stakeholders to understand challenges in accessing healthcare.

Pre-Submission Stakeholder Webinar happening NOW!

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This session is to provide an update for stakeholders on Arizona’s RHTP application process & next steps.

Post-Submission Stakeholder Webinar on November 13, 2025 & Tribal Consultation slated for mid-December, to provide more details on proposed initiatives and go-forward engagement opportunities.

Arizona met with met with Arizonans for Better Healthcare on July 31, 2025, to understand rural providers needs.

December

November

October

September

AHCCCS hosted a Tribal Listening Session on September 11, 2025, to gather feedback.

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Arizona continued its outreach to rural providers and Tribal partners.

December 31, 2025

Award Announcement

Arizona solicited feedback through multiple channels from a diverse range of stakeholders, including hospital systems, rural providers, universities, tribal representatives, and rural residents.

Stakeholder Engagement Journey

August

July

Arizona’s Stakeholder Engagement Efforts to Date

General Public

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Tribal Representatives

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• AHCCCS hosted Tribal listening session at the National Tribal Health Conference on September 11, and will update Tribal partners at Tribal Consultation on November 3.
• Arizona met with IHS representatives on October 7 & 21. IHS advised the State to ensure Arizona’s application included comprehensive options for Native American and Tribal populations and emphasized the need for culturally appropriate care.
• Arizona facilitated meetings with Arizona’s Tribal 638 hospitals on October 9 & 27.
• Arizona coordinated with the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care (AACIHC) on October 6 & 30.
• Offered individual meetings to leadership for all 22 Tribes.

Provider & Medicaid Facilities

Specific Area of Expertise

• Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) administered a Request for Information (RFI) between September 5 – 30.
• The RFI was open to the public,
• AHCCCS, ADHS, and the Governor's Office promoted the opportunity to provide feedback in anticipation of RHTP, and
• The RFI was also promoted by all 20+ State health boards and commissions, which promoted the RFI to their licensees.
• The State incorporated Arizonans for Better Healthcare’s Provider Survey into its RFI, which also incorporated feedback from listening sessions with rural health providers.

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• Arizona facilitated meetings with:
• Arizonans for Better Healthcare on July 31 & October 16,
• the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers on October 23,
• the Arizona Association of Health Plans on October 17 & 27,
• the Health System Alliance of Arizona on October 16 & 24,
• the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association on October 3 & 17,
• the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers on October 23,
• Phoenix Children’s Hospital on October 30,
• the Arizona Health Care Association on October 27, and
• several healthcare professional associations.

• Arizona met with:
• the Arizona Center for Rural Health on September 8, October 22 and 24,
• Northern Arizona University on September 4,
• representatives for Arizona State University on October 27,
• Arizonans Chamber of Commerce’s Health Care Committee on October 23,
• the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging on September 15,
• Contexture, the State’s Health Information Exchange, on October 17 and 28, and
• County Public Health Officers on October 16.

Arizona’s RHTP Proposed Initiatives

• Recruit, train, and retain skilled health professionals serving Arizona’s rural and Tribal communities by creating new and expanding existing workforce initiatives
• Create financial incentives to encourage recruitment and retention of rural healthcare professionals in collaboration with colleges, universities, Arizona Area Health Education Centers, with an emphasis on allied health disciplines

• Focused on Behavioral Health & Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Child and Maternal Health, and Chronic Disease Prevention & Management
• Expand prevention and treatment access via grant opportunities, including for mobile/digital units, and telehealth integration

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• Expand access to care in rural communities by deploying mobile units and satellite sites, and expanding telehealth services for specialty, primary, and preventive care in remote areas
• Integrate regional coordination for referrals, scheduling, and continuity of care, and telehealth-enabled access to improve rural health outcomes

• Implement shared services models to reduce administrative and financial burdens by leveraging EMRs, HIE, and scaling back-office support
• Provide technical assistance to strengthen rural network performance and coordination for better care delivery

Workforce Development

Rural Health Access

Resiliency & Operational Efficiency

Priority Health Initiatives Grant

Below are 4 overarching priorities that Arizona is focusing on to address the key challenges related to access to healthcare in rural communities:

What’s Ahead

The following resource materials are intended to help you develop a more comprehensive understanding of RHTP and provide latest updates on the application process while we await the CMS award announcement:

RHTP Resources