Rural Health Transformation Program
The Rural Health Transformation Program offers an opportunity for Washington state to support sustainable health care initiatives for rural communities that expand access, enhance quality of care, and improve outcomes.
Rural provider incentives
The Washington State Department of Health will open an RHT funding opportunity for rural provider incentives in November. Learn more about the opportunity on the Healthier Washington Collaboration Portal and look for the coming opportunity on DOH’s funding opportunities page.
The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program is part of the H.R.1 budget reconciliation bill. The RHT Program offers $50 billion funding nationwide to improve rural health care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) administers the program.
In this first year, CMS awarded Washington state about $181 million. These funds will support the hospitals, clinics, and providers that rural families rely on every day.
The Health Care Authority (HCA), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)—in support of Governor Ferguson’s Office—partnered to develop and run Washington state’s RHT plan.
Goals
Six initiatives guide the RHT Program:
- Develop community-based health care options to help rural residents access the right level of care at the right time.
- Invest in the health of Native families.
- Invest in technology that increases efficiency, access, and quality in Washington’s rural health care system, helping rural Washingtonians get specialty care and monitor chronic conditions.
- Invest in long-term solutions to give rural Washingtonians better access to high-quality specialty and emergency medical care.
- Grow, train, and maintain the health care workforce in rural Washington.
- Expand and sustain Washington’s rural behavioral health system, decreasing the strain on rural hospitals and school-based behavioral health care services.
News and updates
Rural provider incentives
DOH will open a funding opportunity for rural provider incentives in November. Learn more about the opportunity on the Healthier Washington Collaboration Portal and look for the coming opportunity on DOH’s funding opportunities page.
Email announcements
Sign up for email updates about the RHT Program.
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| September 3, 2026 | Save the date for our Rural Health Transformation Program webinar |
| August 27, 2026 | Rural Health Transformation Advisory Committee |
| August 6, 2026 | Extensions for rural health funding opportunities |
| July 29, 2026 | CORRECTION: New funding opportunity for rural health |
| July 22, 2026 | New opportunities for rural health transformation |
Disclaimer: This program is supported by CMS/HHS as a financial assistance award totaling $181,257,515.06 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.
