Federal funding initiative · FY 2026–2030
Rural health transformation starts with people.
A $50 billion federal investment is opening new possibilities for rural healthcare — new care models, new partnerships, new ways of reaching the communities that need care most. Every one of them depends on the same foundation: verified, ready clinicians at the point of care.
Program overview
Understanding the Rural Health Transformation Program
Administered by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the program responds to the compounding pressures rural healthcare faces — workforce shortages, aging infrastructure, financial strain, and compliance burden. It gives states the capital to rethink how care reaches their communities.
-
$10 billion distributed annually through FY 2030.
-
50/50 split: ~$100M baseline per state, plus competitive scoring of each state's transformation plan.
-
All 50 states received first-year awards in January 2026 — $147M to $281M
-
Spend deadline: October 1, 2032
$50B
Total program funding
5 years
FY 2026–2030 commitment
50 states
Awarded first-year funding
$281M
High end of state awards
Take it with you
The RHT program at a glance
A one-page overview of the Rural Health Transformation Program — funding structure, timeline, eligible focus areas, and recommended next steps for rural leaders. Share it with your team before the next planning meeting.
Download the infographicWhat the $50B supports
Six focus areas where rural systems can invest
Workforce enablement and retention
Recruiting and retaining rural clinicians, often paired with service commitments and grow-your-own pipeline programs.
Technology for quality, access, and compliance
Telehealth, remote monitoring, credentialing automation, cybersecurity, and other tech investments that improve clinical workflow.
Data, reporting, and performance infrastructure
The infrastructure each state needs to demonstrate measurable workforce, access, and compliance outcomes back to CMS.
Regulatory readiness and burden reduction
Reducing administrative drag on rural facilities, including modernizing licensure systems and joining interstate compacts.
Operational process improvement
Right-sizing operations, improving billing and revenue cycle, and addressing administrative inefficiencies.
Long-term sustainability and innovation
Hub-and-spoke networks, value-based care models, and innovative care delivery designed to outlast the funding period.
Transformation, not just modernization
This work doesn’t happen alone
Rural health systems aren’t just upgrading systems. They’re rethinking how to serve their communities.
New care models, new partnerships, new ways for patients to find care — every state plan reflects a different version of this work. The mix of strategies will vary. The mix of partners will vary. But one thing stays constant across every transformation play: the people delivering the care.
At the heart of it
However care is delivered, it’s still delivered by people.
As rural systems explore new ways to bring clinicians into their care settings — across new specialties, new channels, and new partnerships — the foundation underneath every one of those plays is the same: verified, ready, compliant people at the point of care.
How Propelus® helps
The foundation underneath rural transformation
Whatever shape your transformation takes, it depends on verified, ready people at the point of care. Propelus is the workforce intelligence and compliance foundation that makes that possible — trusted by state agencies, regulators, and healthcare employers for more than 20 years.
Propelus EverCheck
Getting people to the point of care, faster
Daily primary source verification across 8,300+ sources removes friction from clinician onboarding. Whether you’re activating clinicians for a new telehealth program, an expanded specialty service, or a hub-and-spoke care model, EverCheck shortens the path from hired to at the point of care — without compromising verification rigor.
What this enables: Faster activation of grant-funded clinicians. Less administrative friction for every new care model.
Propelus EverCheck
Propelus EverCheck + Propelus Immuware
Keeping your workforce ready, every day
Continuous monitoring of licenses, certifications, sanctions, and exclusions against OIG, GSA SAM, NPI, DEA, and state Medicaid lists. Employee health and immunization tracking that keeps every clinician compliant. As your workforce grows across new channels and specialties, the readiness layer keeps pace.
What this enables: Always-on workforce readiness across every care setting and clinician channel.
Propelus CE Broker + Propelus Data Solutions
Trusted by the state agencies you report to
NCQA-CVO certified across all seven categories. The official continuing education compliance platform for 350+ state licensing boards. API-first data infrastructure feeds state, employer, and partner systems with the same verified workforce truth — so reporting back to CMS doesn’t require building a reporting system from scratch.
What this enables: A pre-installed trust layer with the agencies that control RHT reporting and oversight.
The Propelus footprint
Already operational where RHT funding is flowing
350+
State boards and agencies served
7M+
Covered healthcare professionals
8,300+
Primary sources monitored
56M+
Monthly automated verifications
20+
Years partnering with state agencies
Prepare now
Six things rural leaders should be doing today
RHT funds are flowing, and early action shapes FY28 competitive standing. Use this checklist as your starting point.