Background
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), created under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will distribute $50 billion over five years across all 50 states to strengthen rural health care, with allocation to each state based on competitive application process and informed by the quality of state-proposed strategies.
Our aspiration is to develop a best-in-class strategy and RHTP fund application that will transform rural healthcare access and quality, while positioning West Virginia for economic growth through investments and innovative partnerships. This is a critical chance to reimagine care delivery, improve outcomes, and build a sustainable system that supports the health and economic vitality of our rural communities and West Virgina as a whole.
What CMS is Looking For
- Support rural health innovations and new access points that address root causes of disease and improve prevention, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and prenatal care.
- Help rural providers become sustainable long-term access points by improving
efficiency, coordination, and financial stability. - Attract and retain a skilled healthcare workforce, enabling providers to practice at the top of their license.
- Spark the growth of innovative care models and payment arrangements that improve quality, lower costs, and shift care to lower-cost settings.
- Foster use of technology to expand access, improve data sharing, strengthen
cybersecurity, and support emerging digital tools.
Your Input is Needed
Governor Morrisey is launching this statewide effort as a strategic priority. Your input is essential to develop the most comprehensive and impactful approach to the improving healthcare and the strength of our communities. The state will submit its competitive RHTP funding application to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov 5th. We encourage you to respond to some or all the questions below. All your input is valuable.
Key questions for your input are the following:
- What are the most significant healthcare needs and gaps in outcomes in rural West Virginia that should be prioritized?
- What are the root causes of these needs and gaps in outcomes?
- What interventions should West Virginia pursue to address these root causes
- How can the state develop its workforce to improve healthcare outcomes?
- What existing innovations should be scaled to improve care?
- What new technologies or models should be tested or incubated?
- What partnerships or local assets can be leveraged to strengthen rural health systems?
Who Should Respond
We welcome responses from all interested parties, including hospitals, clinics, providers, community and faith-based organizations, advocacy groups, local and state government agencies, payers, professional associations, colleges and universities, workforce and training entities, the business community, patients, caregivers, and the general public.
Deadline
Please respond by Sept, 29th. We have begun work on the application for funding to CMS, and earlier submissions are encouraged to inform its development.
Submission Details
Please submit your responses to RHTP@wv.gov
Click here to download the Word document template if it's helpful in creating your responses.
Response Length
We recommend including as much information as possible in the response to answer the relevant questions above. We recognize that your expertise or perspectives may result in focusing your answers on some questions more than others.