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RHTP discussion, implementation experience, and announcements
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Your rural-health network could earn recurring referral commissions
Do you regularly connect rural hospitals, FQHCs, rural health clinics, health departments, grant applicants, or healthcare vendors with useful resources? Those introductions could now generate revenue for you. Rural Care Journey (RCJ) is inviting external professionals to apply to its Referral Partner Program. RCJ helps organizations discover rural health funding opportunities, awards, vendors, source documents, and implementation intelligence across all 50 states. Here's what approved referral partners earn: 20% of eligible subscription payments during the first 12 months 10% of eligible subscription payments after Year 1 💡 What could one referral be worth? One organization subscribing to the $199/month Team plan could generate approximately $478 in first year commissions , assuming 12 eligible monthly payments, before applicable exclusions. This opportunity may be especially relevant to rural health consultants, grant writers, associations, advisors, technology vendors, and professionals already helping organizations navigate rural healthcare transformation. Getting started is straightforward: 1. Create a free RCJ account. 2. Apply to become a Referral Partner and accept the Referral Partner Agreement. 3. Once approved, receive your personal referral link and dashboard. 4. Share RCJ with your network and track visits, referrals, commissions, and payouts. Your network already has value. Now it can generate revenue, too. 👉 Apply to become an RCJ Referral Partner: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/referral program/apply?utm source=community&utm medium=board&utm campaign=referral recruit Commissions are subject to approval, eligible payments, payout requirements, and the RCJ Referral Partner Agreement. Grow the community. Grow the impact. Earn along the way.
RCJ Team· 4d ago
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RCJ is ready for RHTP Year 2: a 50-state readiness report and a step-by-step guide
Budget Period 2 of the Rural Health Transformation Program began on October 31, 2026 , and CMS announced every state's Year 2 award on November 9 . Rural Care Journey is now updated for Year 2, and we've published two things to help you get ready for the next round of state funding. 📊 New report: RHTP Year 2 Readiness, State by State All 50 states in one table: federal awards to date (Year 1 + Year 2, to the cent from CMS), how far each state's CMS listed initiatives have moved, its policy commitments, and whether rural providers can apply for its RHTP funding right now. States are grouped by three simple signals, not ranked: 12 states meet all three signals 70% of the 322 CMS listed initiatives are at Stage 2 or later 69 RHTP solicitations are open (47) or upcoming (22), in 25 states Year 2 awards are up in 25 states and down in 25 🧭 New guide: How to Prepare for RHTP Year 2 Funding with Rural Care Journey Whether you're new to RCJ or already using it, the guide walks you through five steps, with links straight to the page you need: 1. Read your state's readiness signals 2. Work through your state page: federal awards, CMS status, opportunities and Year 1 awardees 3. Catch the next round early with filters, saved lists, keyword alerts and the Daily Brief 4. Prepare the application with Opportunity Intelligence and Start Application 5. For vendors: position yourself with Year 1 awardees and the initiatives that are moving What else changed on RCJ for Year 2 Every state page now shows federal awards to date with the Year 1 + Year 2 split, the same figure across the site and the API. State awards to local organizations are tagged by budget period (BP1 / BP2) where the source dates them. Year 2 "Round 2" or "Phase 2" programs are listed as their own opportunities with their own deadlines. See how each state's award changed in RHTP Year 2 Awards: Who Gained and Who Lost, and browse open RHTP opportunities. Questions about your state's Year 2 plans? Ask below. 👇
RCJ Team· 20h ago
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Rural Care Journey is heading to Charlotte
We're excited to share that Rural Care Journey will be an exhibitor at the 2027 Health Transformation Summit , January 28–29 at The Pearl in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Summit brings together healthcare executives, clinicians, program leaders, technology companies, and innovators working on the next stage of rural health transformation. And importantly for the RCJ community, RHTP is at the center of the conversation. The agenda includes: • RHTP vision and the year ahead • Rural telehealth policy and funding • AI in healthcare • Telehealth access and equity • Technology and vendor showcases • Two days of focused networking and partnership building RCJ was built to help connect the pieces of rural health transformation — opportunities, applicants, vendors, funding intelligence, and the people actually implementing these programs. Now we have an opportunity to bring that community together in person. If you're an RCJ vendor, applicant, rural healthcare organization, or partner planning to attend, let us know. I'd especially like to use the Summit to connect organizations looking for implementation partners with RCJ vendors that can help them deliver. January 28–29, 2027 The Pearl · Charlotte, NC Health Transformation Summit: https://www.healthtransformationsummit.com/vendors Register: https://www.healthtransformationsummit.com/register Let's turn RHTP opportunities into real partnerships and real deployments.
RCJ Team· 7d ago
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Virginia RHTP Mobile & Hybrid Care: 5 regional RFAs open, all due Nov 23 (~$11.8M per region)
Virginia's Rural Health Transformation Program has opened its Mobile & Hybrid Care funding (initiative "Connected to Care, Closer to Home") through five regional Planning District Commission (PDC) collaboratives. Each region runs its own RFA from the same template (RFA RHTP 2026 01; CFDA 93.798; federal award RHTCMS332088, administered by Virginia DMAS). Each regional RFA has about $11.8M available, expects at least five awards , and sets no maximum award per application. Key dates (all five open RFAs) Issued: Friday, October 23, 2026 Written questions due: Friday, November 20, 2026, 5:00 PM ET (answers posted weekly on each PDC's website) Applications due: Monday, November 23, 2026, 5:00 PM ET , as one PDF emailed to the regional PDC Anticipated notice of awards: Friday, January 8, 2027 Period of performance: from award through September 30, 2027 . Year 1 funds must be spent by then, and equipment, technology, or mobile unit projects should be deployed by Q3 of federal fiscal year 2027. Open now: the five regional RFAs 1. Northern Piedmont: Thomas Jefferson PDC Serves: Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, King George, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, and Rappahannock counties Submit to: sourcing@tjpdc.org. Include RHT26 019 PDC10 in every file name and email subject line. Questions: David Blount, sourcing@tjpdc.org RFA: https://tjpdc.org/wp content/uploads/YR1 RHT TJPDC RFA CLEAN.pdf FAQ: https://tjpdc.org/wp content/uploads/RHTP RFA FAQ.pdf Issuer page: https://tjpdc.org/rfa rural health transformation/ On RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/8ae706e359 2. Southside: West Piedmont PDC (Southside Regional Collaborative) Serves: Amelia, Appomattox, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charles City, Charlotte, Cumberland, Franklin, Greensville, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, New Kent, Nottoway, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Surry, and Sussex counties; cities of Danville, Emporia, and Martinsville Submit to: plan@wppdc.org Questions: Michael Armbrister, marmbrister@wppdc.org RFA (Word): https://westpiedmontpdc.org/wp content/uploads/2026/10/RHT RFA.docx FAQ: https://westpiedmontpdc.org/wp content/uploads/2026/10/RFA FAQ .pdf Issuer page: https://westpiedmontpdc.org/rural health transformation fund/ On RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/79e8f15efd 3. Roanoke Alleghany / Central Shenandoah / New River Valley: Central Shenandoah PDC Serves: Alleghany, Bath, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Highland, Pulaski, and Rockbridge counties; cities of Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, and Radford Submit to: cspdc@cspdc.org Questions: Jeremy Crute, jeremy@cspdc.org RFA: https://connect.cspdc.org/download file/414/582 FAQ: https://connect.cspdc.org/download file/415/582 Issuer page: https://connect.cspdc.org/rural health transformation program On RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/001c6810f5 Note: the RFA cover page says about $11.8M, while Section 1.5 says about $11.7M. 4. Southwest Virginia (Rural Health Transformation SWVA): LENOWISCO PDC Serves: Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Smyth, Tazewell, Wise, and Wythe counties; cities of Galax and Norton Submit to: rhtpswva@lenowisco.org Questions: Jimmy Adkins, rhtpswva@lenowisco.org (phone help: 276 431 2206) RFA (Word): https://www.lenowisco.org/uploads/3/0/6/6/30665363/yr1 rht lenowisco rfa clean.docx FAQ: https://www.lenowisco.org/uploads/3/0/6/6/30665363/rfa faq swva lenowisco.pdf FAQ (updated): https://www.lenowisco.org/uploads/3/0/6/6/30665363/rfa faq swva lenowisco 2.pdf Issuer page: https://www.lenowisco.org/rural health transformation program swva.html On RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/a1c09f53bd 5. Eastern Shore, Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula: Accomack Northampton PDC Serves: Accomack, Essex, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northampton, Northumberland, Richmond, Southampton, Surry, and Westmoreland counties; city of Franklin Submit to: russwilliams@esvaplan.org Questions: Russ Williams, russwilliams@esvaplan.org RFA (V2): https://www.esvaplan.org/wp content/uploads/2026/10/YR1 RHT ANPDC RFA V2.pdf Issuer page: https://www.esvaplan.org/ (no FAQ posted yet) On RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/b814cc4032 Earlier round (closed) 6. Northern Shenandoah Valley: Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission Closed Friday, September 18, 2026 (posted August 27); about $4.2M available Served: Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren counties; city of Winchester RFA: https://cdn.prod.website files.com/6786b58aa4ab3a3bd2591e06/6a9051125433ec7597974049 8.26.26%20Final%20NSVRC%20RFA.pdf Q&A addendum: https://cdn.prod.website files.com/6786b58aa4ab3a3bd2591e06/6aa9a2e3b5cd707cbe4b3497 RFA%20Q%26A%209 15 26.pdf On RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/e926ef65f8 What's fundable Models: mobile care units, telehealth kiosks, clinics in a box, electronic consultations, rural care centers that act as "hubs" in hub and spoke models, and technology enablers for hub and spoke care (for example, provider to provider e consults for specialty care) Services: primary care, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, dental, vision, screenings, diagnostics, preventive care, and specialty care Who can apply Legally organized entities that can receive and manage a federal subaward. Examples include nonprofits, governmental entities, health systems, FQHCs, Rural Health Clinics, educational institutions, healthcare providers, community based organizations, mobile health technology organizations, and for profit entities. Projects must serve eligible rural residents in the RFA's region, using Virginia's RHTP rural definition (based on FORHP). Where your headquarters or facility is located doesn't, by itself, determine eligibility. Applicants proposing direct clinical services need the required licenses or credentials, or a formal partnership with a licensed provider. You'll need a UEI from SAM.gov; some RFAs allow getting it after award. How applications are scored (100 points, same in all five RFAs) | Criterion | Points | | | | | Rural Healthcare Need & Population Impact | 25 | | Project Design & Approach | 25 | | Implementation Feasibility & Organizational Capacity | 20 | | Sustainability | 15 | | Budget & Cost Effectiveness | 15 | What to submit (one PDF, in the RFA's Section 4.2 order) Application Cover Sheet with authorized representative certification (Appendix A) Project Narrative, 15 pages maximum (Appendix B) Work Plan and Performance Measures, including an estimate of eligible rural residents served (Appendix C) Project Budget and Budget Narrative (Appendix D) Required Certifications and Disclosures (Appendix F) Good to know: funding is paid on a reimbursement basis. Pre award costs aren't allowed, and RHTP funds can't be used to meet matching requirements for other federal or local funds. All of Virginia's RHTP activity on RCJ: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/va The state's own RFA list: https://www.ruralhealthtransformationva.virginia.gov/ways to apply/ Always confirm details in the official RFA. Answers to questions and any amendments are posted on each PDC's website.
RCJ Team· 15d ago
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New RCJ map views: explore states and rural providers visually
We've added two new ways to explore Rural Care Journey visually: a redesigned States page with map and card views, and a new Rural Healthcare Providers map. Both are public, and both are built to answer the same question faster: where is RHTP activity happening, and who is involved? 🗺️ States: map, cards and list The States page now opens on a Map view, with Cards and the familiar List one click away. Map. Every state is a tile, colored by the measure you pick under "Color by": implementation phase, active opportunities, opportunity funding, federal RHTP award, state award signals, or rural population share. The phase view is shaded by each state's CMS initiative progress, so two states in the same phase can still be told apart at a glance. Hover a tile for the details; click it to open that state's full program page. Cards. One card per state showing its phase, CMS initiative progress, and key numbers side by side (active opportunities, opportunity funding, federal award, state awards, rural population, CAHs) so you can compare states without switching metrics. Use "Sort by" to rank them by whatever matters to you. List. The full table is still there for detailed scanning. If you always prefer one view, set it once under Profile → States view and RCJ will open the States page that way for you. 🏥 Rural Healthcare Providers The new Rural Healthcare Providers page maps about 39,000 hospitals, health centers, clinics and other organizations, built from public federal data (CMS certification data and HRSA health center and National Health Service Corps site records, refreshed weekly). Provider types include Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, FQHC and health center sites, hospitals, Tribal/IHS facilities, CCBHCs, behavioral health and opioid treatment programs, local health departments, primary care practices and community clinics. How the map works: Zoomed out , each state shows one bubble with its provider count; hover for the mix of provider types. Zoomed in , providers group into local clusters, ringed in the color of the most common type in that area. Up close , each provider gets its own marker. The shape tells you the type (a diamond is a CAH, a triangle an RHC, a circle a health center site), and the color reinforces it. Click a marker for a quick preview card, then View profile for the full record. The list beside the map follows what you're looking at ("N providers in this map area"), and hovering a card highlights its marker. Filters let you narrow by state, provider type, rural status, RHTP activity and services, or search by name, city or operating organization. Switch to Directory for a card list of the same results. Connected to RHTP activity. Providers that RCJ can match to a state RHTP award are marked with a gold halo on the map and an "RHTP award" badge, and their profile lists the awards with amounts and descriptions. About 1,500 providers are linked today, including health center sites whose operating organization received an award. Matching is by exact name, so an award made to a parent system under a different name won't show yet; we'll keep improving this. Rural status uses each provider's own federal designation where one exists (CAH, REH, RHC, or HRSA's rural flag for health center sites), and otherwise whether it sits outside a metropolitan area. Why we built this RCJ's goal is to connect states, providers, funding, opportunities, awards and implementation activity in one place you can navigate. These views are the first step toward seeing that picture on a map: which states are moving, which providers serve rural communities, and where RHTP dollars are landing. Take a look and tell us what would make these maps more useful for your work: data you'd like added, filters you're missing, or anything that looks wrong. Just reply to this post.
RCJ Team· 16d ago
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New on RCJ: CMS's RHTP plans vs. what states have actually put out to bid
CMS has started publishing a much fuller national picture of the Rural Health Transformation Program: exact Year 1 awards, 322 official state initiatives with Stage 0–5 progress, 19 State Policy Action commitments per state, and a 58 page deck of Planned State Initiatives. We compared all of it against what RCJ tracks every day, and published two pieces on what we found. 1. Research report: CMS Planned Initiatives vs. RCJ A live comparison of CMS's plans against the solicitations RCJ has tracked: Where planned work hasn't become a solicitation yet. For each of CMS's 43 focus areas, see which states have an open or announced solicitation, which have only closed ones, and which have none yet (752 of 1,553 state focus areas as of today). Click any bar to see the states and the actual opportunities behind it. Every CMS initiative, state by state, checked against the solicitations that implement it, with research notes on the ones still waiting. Where CMS's own data disagrees with itself (13 of 43 focus areas), and the corrections we made to RCJ as a result. The amber "no solicitation yet" areas are the likeliest places for new opportunities to appear. 2. Analysis: The Map Is Finally Public. But Rural Health Transformation Is Already Moving Beyond It. What the new CMS data tells us about Year 1, and why Year 2 (starting October 31) is different: why "funded" is not the same as obligated, awarded, implemented, or producing outcomes; how a federal report can be accurate and still be behind the market (Alaska went from $11.5M put to work in CMS's July snapshot to nearly $249M awarded to 254 projects in October); why Year 2 funding now depends on states showing their initiatives actually moved through CMS's checkpoints; practical advice for states, providers, and vendors. You can also explore CMS's data directly on the RCJ dashboard: switch the map to CMS data to see each state's Year 1 award, policy commitments, initiative stage, and how each CMS focus area compares with the solicitations RCJ has tracked. We'd love to hear what you're seeing in your state. Where is planned work moving faster or slower than the data shows? Share it below.
RCJ Team· 18d ago
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New: Follow a state's RHTP activity and get its changes in your daily brief
You can now follow any state's Rural Health Transformation Program on Rural Care Journey. When something changes in a state you follow, it shows up at the top of your daily brief. How to follow a state Open any state page, for example Ohio, and click Follow Ohio RHTP next to "Official RHTP site". Opportunity pages have the same button for that opportunity's state. In Research Intelligence, a report lists the states it found under Keep watching , so you can follow them in one click. What you'll get A "Your states" section at the top of your daily brief, covering only the states you follow: New opportunities , such as a newly posted RFP or grant Changes to existing opportunities, such as deadline changes, status changes and closures New awards announced in that state Each item links to its RCJ page and the official source. If nothing changed in your states that day, the section is left out, so your inbox only gets updates when there's news. Good to know Following is free; you just need a Rural Care Journey account. If you're not signed in, the button takes you through a quick sign up and finishes the follow for you. You can follow as many states as you like. Following a state turns your daily brief email on, since that's where the updates arrive. To stop following, click ✓ Following [State] on the state page, or remove it under Profile → Followed states . We built this because most people come to RCJ asking about one or two states. Now you can keep watching them without checking back every day. Try it on the states you work in and tell us what you'd like to see in your state updates.
RCJ Team· 20d ago
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RHTP progress update: new opportunities, awards, and regional implementation coverage
As of October 22, 2026, Rural Care Journey has confirmed several notable RHTP developments from current issuer sources: • Hawaii’s HOME RUN Education Award now explicitly treats every Neighbor Island community as rural and identifies eight eligible O‘ahu ZIP codes: 96792, 96786, 96795, 96717, 96762, 96731, 96712, and 96791. https://ahec.hawaii.edu/home run/index.html • Oklahoma’s RHTP Funding page lists the OHCA EHR Expansion RFI (Year 1 Application), due December 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST. https://oklahoma.gov/rhtp/rhtp funding.html • Mississippi has announced 167 first round RHTP awards totaling $104,115,146. The state says its workforce and psychiatric emergency initiatives were still under review at the time of that announcement. https://mississippirhtp.com/rhtp news/governor reeves announces 167 rural health transformation program awards totaling more than 104 million/ • Michigan has published its Year 1 RHTP annual report. https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/assistance programs/medicaid/rural health transformation program • North Carolina’s ROOTS implementation is now documented across all six Medicaid regions, with five lead organizations because Trillium covers Regions 2 and 5. https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department initiatives/rural health transformation program/rural health transformation program grant opportunities We are holding conflicting or insufficiently sourced deadline and award count claims until the issuer publishes evidence that resolves them.
RCJ Team· 20d ago
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The Grant Edit: Rural Health Transformation funding landscape
New episode of The Grant Edit with Maureen Meyer: a must listen for anyone following RHTP. They cover the fast moving Rural Health Transformation funding landscape, shrinking application windows, and what organizations need to know as states roll out their next rounds of funding. It's a great translation of the funding landscape into practical preparation for organizations that need to move quickly. For anyone working on rural health grants, implementation, or RHTP strategy, it's well worth the time. https://youtube.com/watch?v=I2x1fS0HZdY
RCJ Team· 22d ago
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Rural Care Journey reaches 1,000 members 🎉
🎉 Rural Care Journey has reached 1,000 members! Six calendar months ago, our first community member joined RCJ. Today, we’ve reached 1,000 registered members across the rural health ecosystem. That means 1,000 people exploring opportunities, tracking state programs, finding implementation partners, researching awards, and working to strengthen healthcare access in rural communities. 🏥🌾 RCJ started with a simple idea: make Rural Health Transformation Program information easier to find and easier to act on. It has grown into a shared space for applicants, vendors, healthcare organizations, public agencies, researchers, and rural health leaders. 🤝 Thank you to everyone who has: 🔎 Searched for an opportunity 📄 Reviewed a source document 🏆 Shared an award or program update 🧩 Looked for an implementation partner 💬 Joined the conversation 🚀 Helped us improve Rural Care Journey We are still early in this journey, but the direction is clear: rural health transformation depends on connecting the right information with the right people at the right time. Thank you for being part of the first 1,000. Here’s to the next chapter — and to better rural care, closer to home. 💙 👉 Join Rural Care Journey free https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/join
San Lee· Oct 12, 2026
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New RCJ report: CMS says West Virginia obligated $0 — RCJ found $11.4M in named awards
CMS just released its Year 1 RHTP Obligated Funds Report — the first state by state look at how much of the $10B Budget Period 1 award states have actually put to work. We compared it directly against RCJ's own continuously tracked award data. 🔗 Read the full comparison What CMS's snapshot shows (as of July 31, 2026): $10.00B combined Budget Period 1 award across 50 states $4.00B reported as put to work — a 40.0% national obligation rate 2 states (New York, West Virginia) reported $0 obligated RCJ's own independently tracked award figures match CMS within ±1% for 49 of 50 states The case that matters most: West Virginia CMS shows $0.0M put to work. RCJ's own tracking already has 22 named award entries dated September 4–October 1, totaling at least $11.4M disclosed — all after CMS's reporting window closed. Same state, two true numbers, different cutoff dates. The full comparison table (all 50 states, CMS vs. RCJ) is on the page now. Subscribers also get the full PDF and a new named awardee directory — RCJ's tracked award records matched to real organizations with contact info, cross referenced state by state against CMS. Worth a look if you're tracking RHTP implementation pace, or trying to tell “slow” from “just not reported yet.”
RCJ Team· Oct 9, 2026
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Beyond the Funding: The People Behind Rural Health Transformation
As of October 3, Rural Care Journey reflects: 723 consolidated public opportunities across all 50 states plus federal activity 791 indexed vendors 16,700+ healthcare entities Nearly $1 billion in currently open or closing funding Those numbers are encouraging. But after months of building RCJ, the most important thing I have learned is harder to measure: the people. Behind every opportunity are applicants trying to build something. Behind every vendor profile are people who have spent years solving difficult healthcare problems. Behind every award are clinicians, EMS teams, educators, community organizations, technology companies, and local leaders who ultimately have to make the work succeed. The more conversations I have, the more I believe rural health transformation will depend not only on funding or technology, but also on connecting the right people, building local capacity, and creating relationships that continue after the funding ends. That is increasingly what I want Rural Care Journey to become—not simply a database of opportunities, but a place where people who need help can find people who know how to help. If you work in rural healthcare, are pursuing an RHTP opportunity, or have a capability that could help rural organizations implement one, I hope you will join the conversation here. I shared the longer reflection on Substack: Beyond the Funding: The People Behind Rural Health Transformation
San Lee· Oct 3, 2026
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New: RHTP Market Intelligence — see where the funding is moving
We just launched RHTP Market Intelligence , a live dashboard tracking Rural Health Transformation Program activity across the country: 🔗 View RHTP Market Intelligence What's in it right now: 60 active opportunities across 25 states , worth $294M in currently open/upcoming funding 8 new opportunities posted this week, 11 closing within the next 14 days 143 awards tracked in the last 30 days, totaling $644M A State Market Map , grouped by HHS region, showing at a glance where funding and activity are concentrated Opportunity Movers — newest postings, closing soon deadlines, and recently awarded contracts, in one place Theme Momentum — which RHTP priority areas (telehealth, workforce, care at home, etc.) are picking up Funding Gap — tracked funding per rural resident, state by state This sits alongside the $10B+ in total CMS RHTP allocations we already track nationally — the new board is about the moving parts underneath that: what's open, what's closing, what just got awarded. Filter by state or time window, and it all updates from the same live data as the rest of the site. Would love to hear what you'd want to see next.
RCJ Team· Sep 29, 2026
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ClinEfficiency Pro- Who we are and where we fit into the RHTP initiative
From RHTP Award to Working Model Hello, RHT Community! I’m Dr. Augusta Uwah, an internal medicine physician, former hospitalist and physician advisor, and founder of ClinEfficiency Pro. An award funds a plan. A rural team still has to make that plan work between patient care, staffing constraints, changing policy, and the next reporting deadline. We help rural hospitals turn a funded initiative into a working, measurable service. A practical starting point is one initiative and one focused implementation assessment. We establish the baseline, trace the workflow from decision to delivery, identify who owns each handoff, and define what the team needs to show at its next milestone. The result is a short action plan leaders can use to assign work, resolve gaps, and measure progress. We also support the hospital operations that determine whether transformation can last: Physician advisor and UM capacity: We help teams identify where physician review is most needed, design ways to share limited expertise across sites, and use CLIP to support timely, documented medical necessity and patient status decisions. Policy updates: We translate relevant changes into practical documentation, review, and escalation guidance. AI governance: We help teams set human review, controls, and outcome measures for AI used in clinical and operational work. Clinical and operational leaders keep ownership of care and implementation decisions. Our job is to bring focused physician led analysis and usable tools to the points where capacity is thin and the stakes are high. If you are responsible for moving an RHTP initiative from award to daily practice, I would welcome a conversation. What is the hardest part to make real right now: the workflow, the clinical capacity, or the evidence of results? We would welcome conversations with rural hospitals, health networks, state and regional implementation teams, and partners assembling multidisciplinary RHTP projects. Our strongest fit is an initiative that needs clearer clinical ownership, a workable process, or credible evidence of results. If that is a gap in a project you are building or delivering, please reach out here. I would be glad to compare notes and explore where physician led implementation support could help. Find our rural health engagements at https://clinefficiency.pro/rural health
Augusta· Sep 27, 2026
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New RCJ briefing: RHTP Post-Award — What States Must Prove After the Award
CMS's September 2026 Post Award FAQ makes one point especially important: receiving the federal award is only the beginning. States still have to manage Budget Periods, obligations, contracts and subawards, checkpoints, metrics, workforce commitments, policy actions, and ongoing reporting. The new 8 page RCJ briefing translates that guidance into practical questions: How can you tell an open downstream opportunity from a planning signal? What evidence confirms a vendor or subrecipient was actually selected? When can a clinical workforce initiative create a five year rural service obligation? What budget, checkpoint, and recovery risks should vendors watch? Read the briefing: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/reports/rhtp post award 2026 The official CMS FAQ is also available in Reference Documents. What post award signals are you seeing in your state or market?
RCJ Team· Sep 25, 2026
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🧭 Vendor Directory Update: Smarter Search and Organization Filters
Rural Care Journey’s Vendor Directory now makes it easier to discover and compare rural health vendors. New features include: AI powered search with match scores and vendor specific explanations More diverse AI recommendations across vendor categories Organization Type filters: Technology / Software Service Provider Consultant Medical Device / Product Payer / Health Plan Nonprofit Organization Community Based Organization Government / Public Agency Other RHTP Awarded and Logo Only filters Existing vendor cards, profiles, logos, and quote actions retained Keyword search and detailed capability filters remain available Explore the updated Vendor Directory: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/vendors
RCJ Team· Sep 24, 2026
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What Does the RHTP Implementation Network Look Like?
Hello again, RHT Community! As RHTP moves further into implementation, I have been thinking about something we may not see on our project plans: The relationships through which transformation will actually happen. We can identify initiatives, timelines, funding, deliverables, and accountable leaders, but implementation rarely moves through formal structure alone. It also moves through relationships. Who do people trust when something changes? Who do they call when a new process does not work as expected? Who connects clinical, operational, technology, and community partners? Who has influence across departments, or even across organizations, without necessarily having the title? And who is quietly becoming the person everyone depends upon? This is where I believe Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) could offer an important lens for rural health transformation. ONA helps make visible the informal networks through which trust, information, collaboration, knowledge, and influence actually move. Imagine being able to see, during implementation: 1. Where transformation depends heavily on one or two people. 2. Where teams or partners are well connected and where they are not. 3. Who the trusted connectors are. 4. Where information may be getting stuck. 5. Where critical knowledge is concentrated. 6. Where implementation demands may be creating relational overload. This is not about replacing traditional workforce data, surveys, or project management. It is about seeing another layer of the system. We can design an excellent transformation strategy on paper and still miss the human network required to make it work in practice. Perhaps one of our RHTP implementation questions should be: Do we know who is actually carrying the transformation? Perhaps equally important: Do we know whether the network around them is strong enough to sustain it? I would love to hear whether others are thinking about the relational side of RHTP implementation. Thank you! Happy Friday Eve! Sincerely, Ava
Ava Jones, PhD, MSM, RN· Sep 24, 2026
4 replies75 views
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Who We Are and How CerynRx Fits Into RHTP Implementation
CerynRx is a physician supervised, pharmacist led metabolic health company based in Dallas. We built our model around continuous pharmacist oversight verification, counseling, and ongoing monitoring at every step of a patient's treatment rather than the prescribe and ship approach most telehealth platforms run on. That's made us a fit for the areas RHTP programs are already prioritizing: chronic disease prevention, diabetes and obesity care, telehealth, medication management, and care coordination. With Initiative 1 (Make Rural Texans Healthy Again) already awarded roughly $56M in the first competitive round we know districts are moving from planning into actual implementation right now, and medication adherence/persistence is one of the pieces that's easy to underweight against access and enrollment numbers. We're also tracking Initiative 2 (Rural Texas Patients in the Driver's Seat) and Initiative 3 (Lone Star Advanced AI and Telehealth) as those move toward Year 2. You can find our full profile under the Pharmacy & Medication Management capability area if you want more detail on how we work. If you're a district thinking through how a pharmacist first layer fits your Initiative 1 rollout or another vendor working adjacent to this space happy to compare notes here or connect directly.
CerynRx· Sep 23, 2026
1 reply173 views
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🌟 A member story: a first grant-writing experience
We received this thoughtful note from Dusty Lynn after working with the Rural Care Journey team on her organization’s first grant writing experience. I cannot thank you and your team enough for the excellent work you did in guiding us through our first grant writing experience! Your in depth research, expertise, and thoughtful guidance were exactly what we needed to successfully navigate the process and get us across the finish line. We especially appreciated your patience in answering our questions, providing clarification, and helping us understand each step along the way. It is clear that your team has extensive experience with the grant process and is exceptionally well equipped to guide organizations like ours through what can otherwise be an overwhelming undertaking. We are incredibly grateful for your support and look forward to working with you again on our next grant opportunity. I would highly recommend your team to any organization seeking knowledgeable, professional, and supportive grant writing assistance. Thank you again for helping make our first grant writing experience such a positive one!! Looking forward to more collaboration. — Dusty Lynn, RN, M.Sc., LNC, EMT P Neonatal and Pediatric Emergency Education · Legal Nurse Consultant
RCJ Team· Sep 21, 2026
1 reply266 views
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RCJ Community Launch Challenge — Winners
The RCJ Community Launch Challenge closed last night, and we want to thank everyone who posted a question, shared a lesson, or helped someone else find an answer over the past four weeks. Winners — 3 months of RCJ Pro each: Ava Jones, PhD, MSM, RN Aleph Group Inc. Kristin DeProspero Michelle Elam Vendor Network bonus — 1 month of Featured Vendor placement ($300 value): Ava Jones, PhD, MSM, RN (OrgAcuity) We'll be reaching out to each winner directly over the next few days with next steps. Thank you for helping kick off RCJ Community — keep the posts and questions coming, the conversation doesn't stop here.
RCJ Team· Sep 20, 2026
1 reply197 views
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How Indiana Selected an RHTP Awardee: A Procurement Lesson
Indiana's RFP 26 87449 offers a useful lesson for organizations pursuing Rural Health Transformation Program work. Laurel Health Advisors was recommended for a five year, $860,088 teleconsult and telehealth landscape assessment—even though Sargad submitted the lowest cost finalist proposal. The decision turned on: • Management Assessment/Quality: 50 points • Cost: 30 points • Oral presentations and written responses • Project management and methodology credibility • Staffing, KPIs, state government experience, and AI approach • Certified MBE, WBE, and IVOSB subcontractor participation After oral presentations, Laurel's quality score increased from 42.75 to 44.25, while Sargad's fell from 24.50 to 19.50. Laurel ultimately scored 79.52 versus Sargad's 64.50. The takeaway: Indiana prioritized confidence in delivery over lowest price. A strong proposal needs more than a competitive budget—it needs a defensible methodology, named delivery team, measurable outcomes, relevant public sector experience, and a credible partner structure. Read the full RCJ case study: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/reports/indiana awardee selection 2026 What are you seeing in other states—are technical quality and implementation credibility outweighing price in RHTP procurements?
RCJ Team· Sep 18, 2026
0 replies271 views
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Partner Funding Opportunities
Grants, letters of intent, and technical assistance calls from universities, foundations, nonprofits, hospital associations, and tribal organizations — independent of, or aligned with, any single state's RHTP allocation. Tracked separately from our state by state RHTP opportunity tracker. A few things worth knowing if you haven't checked it out yet: Search, filter, and sort — search by keyword, filter by state (multi select), issuer type, and status, sort by due date or most recently added Submit an opportunity — signed in and know about a partner funded call we're missing? There's a "Submit an opportunity" button right on the page — drop the URL and we'll review and add it Cross linked with our main tracker — jump straight over to state by state RHTP procurement opportunities and back Check it out here: Partner Funding Opportunities
RCJ Team· Sep 13, 2026
0 replies412 views
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Recap: Navigating the RHTP Ecosystem — Technology & Telehealth Opportunities
Thanks to everyone who joined Thursday's webinar — and to Solutionz and Telemedicine.com for co hosting. If you missed it (or want the highlights), here's a recap. The panel: Kristin Deprospero (Solutionz — AV/telehealth infrastructure, connected care, simulation technology), Eric Bacon (Telemedicine.com — end to end clinical telemedicine programs since 2008), and San Lee (Rural Care Journey). The big picture RHTP only works when four groups move together: funders, technology vendors, applicants/consultants, and the rural providers actually delivering care. Most state RFAs are landing with 2–3 week windows, which means the prep work — project concept, partners, budget, internal sign off — has to happen before the RFA drops, not after. A show of hands poll backed this up: 67% of attendees are still just exploring RHTP, 17% have applied, and 16% are already funded and implementing. Meanwhile states had roughly 52 days to build entire program structures around $200M in annual federal allocations — so readiness is lagging the timeline pressure. What actually makes telehealth programs work Eric's core warning: don't bolt on a new app that lives outside your existing EHR and clinical workflow. Technology that adds friction gets abandoned even when it's good tech. The fix is building a multidisciplinary implementation team — clinical, technical, operational, executive — before you pick a vendor, not after. Recurring high demand use cases across states: virtual specialty access, behavioral health, remote patient monitoring, EMS telehealth, care coordination, mobile care, and community health pods. RCJ platform walkthrough (Virginia example) San walked through how RCJ maps a state's RHTP landscape — Virginia's $190M federal allocation and $44M distributed across active opportunities, plus three tools: Eligibility Checker — surface compliance gaps against a state's specific requirements AI Narrative Assistant — reads an RFA and helps draft a proposal narrative aligned to it Vendor Matchmaker — matches a project narrative against RCJ's vendor directory ( 766 vendors at demo time) Also covered: filtering the vendor directory by state, technology vs. consulting vs. nonprofit/CBO, and capability fit. Open Clinic: rural EMS and OB access One of the more concrete discussions of the day — as rural hospitals close OB units, EMS crews increasingly handle emergency deliveries without easy access to specialist trainers. The idea floated: several smaller EMS agencies pooling resources for mobile simulation equipment, neonatal resuscitation mannequins, and shared traveling instructor / virtual specialist support, instead of each agency buying equipment it can't really afford alone. Virginia was named as facing the same OB desert problem. Where the money's going Three technology pillars keep showing up across state RHTP opportunities: 1. Remote care access — telehealth, virtual specialty care, mobile health, RPM 2. Connected clinical spaces — AV infrastructure, standardized telehealth rooms, device integration 3. IT foundations & cybersecurity — network modernization, EHR integration, interoperability, data exchange Winning the award is step one James Chapp (Ono Logic) made the point that an award is the start of the work, not the finish line — implementation capacity, workflow integration, and clinical adoption determine whether a funded project actually delivers. A second poll backed this up: attendees named defining project scope and timing/deadline pressure as their top two bottlenecks. For CAHs unsure where to start: pull together CEO, CMO, CFO, clinical, ops, and IT, and work backward from a real gap analysis — what problem, what outcome, what capability gap, what's actually allowable under your state's RFA — rather than picking a technology first. Takeaways Start building your team and partnerships before the RFA is released — the windows are too short to do it after. Let the clinical/operational problem drive technology selection, not the other way around. New systems need to plug into your existing EHR and workflows, or adoption stalls. A win is only as good as your ability to actually implement it. Regional/shared resourcing can put otherwise out of reach capability (simulation equipment, virtual specialists) within reach for smaller rural organizations. Want to keep the conversation going? Drop your state or your project bottleneck below — happy to point you at relevant open opportunities or vendors in the directory. Presenting organizations: Solutionz · Telemedicine.com
RCJ Team· Sep 11, 2026
0 replies233 views📎 1
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New: Michigan RHTP GFO briefing — the first subrecipient list, by initiative
Michigan just published its first RHTP subrecipient list, and we've pulled it into a new live briefing on the Reports page: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/reports/michigan rhtp gfo fy1 fy2 2026 What's in it How Michigan split its $173.1M Budget Period 1 award into five initiatives — Transforming Rural Health through Partnerships, Care Closer to Home Blueprint, Interoperability in Action, Workforce for Wellness, and the 5% Tribal carve out — and how the " 2026" vs " 2027" GFO records map to Budget Period 1 and Budget Period 2 (they're separate EGrAMS packages, not duplicates). The first subrecipient list, as ingested from MDHHS: $57.6M announced so far across 130 award rows to 118 organizations — roughly a third of the BP1 award — broken out by initiative. Every open BP2 GFO by deadline (the current wave clusters around Sept 11–19), plus the BP1 solicitations that already closed and are worth reading as application templates. A Michigan specific EGrAMS applicant checklist (non supplanting, HRSA rural service area, partnership evidence, the Oct 30 2026 BP1 obligation clock). One pattern worth flagging: the Partnerships initiative has the most awards (65) but not the most money — those average about $241K, versus Care Closer to Home's 17 awards averaging over $1M. The largest count of grants sits at roughly $76K–$83K each: community partners seeding a role inside someone else's partnership, not standalone awards. If you're a smaller rural organization, that's the realistic entry point — plan the partnership before you write the application. The live briefing is free to read for signed in members. There's also a paid deep dive PDF that adds the funded vs announced analysis per initiative, where the dollars concentrate (statewide intermediaries → regional hubs → the community partner long tail), the BP1→BP2 continuity read, and the positioning checklist. Questions about a specific Michigan fund or GFO — drop them here, or start a thread on the Questions board.
RCJ Team· Sep 10, 2026
0 replies19 views
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Free Webinar: Technology & Telehealth Opportunities with RHTP Funding (Sept 10)
Solutionz, Inc. is hosting a free interactive webinar on technology, telehealth, connectivity, and infrastructure planning for RHTP initiatives — covering everything from project scoping to budgeting, procurement, and implementation readiness. When: Thursday, September 10, 2026, 2:00–3:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT) Where: Online — anyone can view and join Register: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e7cc1d64 3b02 4f3d 967e 5acf666626a8@21221911 5819 43de adcf d48d8e7f4999 Presenters: Kristin Deprospero, Strategic Sales Executive, Solutionz Eric Bacon, CEO, Telemedicine.com Bryan Arkwright, COO, Telemedicine.com San Lee, Rural Care Journey Expert Topics include: Technology and telehealth opportunities Connectivity and infrastructure planning Project scoping and technology requirements Budget planning and procurement considerations Program milestones, timelines, and implementation planning Project specific questions and guidance Who should attend: State and county health officials, rural hospitals and health systems, FQHCs, higher education and workforce development organizations, and IT/operations/finance/grant management teams working on RHTP funded initiatives. Both presenting organizations are in the RCJ vendor directory if you want to look at their broader capabilities first: Solutionz: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/vendors/solutionz Telemedicine.com: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/vendors/telemedicinecom
RCJ Team· Sep 8, 2026
0 replies51 views