The program prioritizes chronic disease prevention and behavioral health, sustaining rural access to care, innovative care delivery and payment models, workforce development, and health technology transformation. Key initiatives include improving emergency care access, leveraging technology investments, growing the rural health workforce through education support and service commitments, and improving metabolic, behavioral, and cardiovascular health. Current structured plan tracks 7 key initiatives and 6 strategic goals.
Wyoming received its federal award announcement for the Rural Health Transformation Program on December 29, 2025, with a revised budget due to CMS in January 2026. Initial meetings with CMS project staff have occurred and legislative actions for fund appropriation are scheduled, but state-level RFAs/RFPs for local providers are still being developed and have not yet been issued.
RHTP Strategy
Wyoming's RHTP pursues a targeted, milestone-driven transformation of rural healthcare by bolstering emergency care infrastructure, scaling technology adoption across providers, expanding rural workforce supply, and implementing robust population health interventions. The strategy integrates legislative, funding, and implementation phases to sustain access, improve health outcomes, and enable innovative care delivery models in rural communities. Emphasis is placed on financial sustainability, coordinated care, and leveraging both clinical and non-clinical supports for chronic, behavioral, and maternal health. Efforts are sequenced per a defined timeline linked to awards, budgeting, and statewide engagement.
Model
State-led rural health transformation employing coordinated, multi-sectoral initiatives—focused on emergency care systems, technology, workforce development, and population health improvement—phased by specific legislative and funding milestones.
Key Initiatives
1Access to emergency care (ambulance, emergency department, labor and delivery)
2Health technology transformation (HIE, telehealth, clinical IT upgrades)
3Rural workforce supply (education support, capacity grants, workforce service commitments)
4Make Wyoming Healthy Again (population health and chronic disease interventions)
5Centralized statewide EMS billing contractor and data-driven service region integration
6Expansion of reimbursement and payment integrity for rural and maternity care
7Upgrade and integration of health information exchange (WYFI) for care coordination
Timeline: December 2025–October 2026: award announcement, budget submission to CMS, legislative appropriations, RFA/RFPs, application review, awards, contract execution.
Health Priority
Emergency Care Access: Aims to secure rural access to ambulance, emergency departments, and labor and delivery services.
Jun 25, 2026
Health Priority
Health Technology: Investments in technology are intended to benefit groups of rural providers and improve care delivery.
Jun 25, 2026
Health Priority
Workforce Supply: Expands essential healthcare workforce through education support and service commitment grants.
Jun 25, 2026
Supporting
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2025-2026
Award: $205.0M
WY - 2025 - Wyoming Department Of Health And Human Services Notice Of Award RHTP 2025 Award Announcement
ReferencePDF2025-2026Award: $200.0M
WY - 2025 - Wyoming RHT In Wyoming 2025 Application
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Application Documents (2)
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ApplicationMay 24, 2026HTML
The program prioritizes chronic disease prevention and behavioral health, sustaining rural access to care, innovative care delivery and payment models, workforce development, and health technology transformation. Key initiatives include improving emergency care access, leveraging technology investments, growing the rural health workforce through education support and service commitments, and improving metabolic, behavioral, and cardiovascular health.
Event schedule:
- First-year award announced - December 29, 2025
- Revised budget due to CMS - January 20, 2026
- Initial meetings with CMS project staff - January 2026 – February 2026
- Legislative action – appropriation of funds, establishment of Perpetuity - February 2026 – March 2026
- Request for Application (RFA) and Request for Proposal (RFP) development - June 2026 – July 2026
- Tentative application submission window - July 2026
- Awards made; funds drawn down - August 2026 – September 2026
- Contract execution deadline - October 1, 2026
Core Initiatives
Chronic disease prevention and behavioral health
Sustaining access to care in rural communities
Innovative approaches to care delivery and payment models
Show all initiatives (5)
Chronic disease prevention and behavioral health
Sustaining access to care in rural communities
Innovative approaches to care delivery and payment models
The FY26 RHTP applications involve all states summarized, with awards from $154M to $272M for rural health transformation. Common priorities include expanded telehealth, workforce development and retention, innovative care models for maternal/chronic conditions, and improved rural hospital financial stability. Strategies are tailored per-state but demonstrate consistent alignment with CMS rural transformation goals.
Budget: $3.3B
Core Initiatives
Expand access to high quality care in rural areas
Invest in workforce, digital infrastructure, and clinical training
Support value-based payment and financial sustainability
Show all initiatives (30)
Expand access to high quality care in rural areas
Invest in workforce, digital infrastructure, and clinical training
Support value-based payment and financial sustainability
Advance maternal and chronic disease outcomes
Promote innovative and preventive health models
Empower rural Mainers to achieve their own healthy living goals through expanded population health solutions
Expand the supply of care by growing a rural workforce and spreading technologies that connect every community to advanced care
Ensure care will be available and affordable long into Maine’s future by pairing affordability measures with strategies that advance quality, efficiency, and fiscal durability
Improve access to care through clinically integrated networks (CINs), community-based clinics and mobile health care services, rural hospital improvements, and home visits.
Improve health outcomes through expansions of behavioral health services.
Improve chronic disease health outcomes such as reduced A1C and increased levels of hypertension management.
Expand technology to build remote monitoring and telehealth, expand electronic medical record (EMR) usage for pharmacists, and pilot innovative screening technologies for chronic conditions.
Build a future where every community has access to high-quality, locally grounded care that is connected through technology, supported by regional collaboration and a strong rural workforce.
Reduce preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits year over year.
Wyoming's Rural Health Transformation Program aims to improve rural and frontier health using $200 million (requested) to address EMS, workforce, technology, and population health issues. The application addresses long-standing access challenges in EMS response, provider shortages, and maternal health deserts. Priorities were informed by 11 statewide town halls and an online survey with over 1,300 responses.
In SFY 2025, Wyoming Medicaid improved rural provider recruitment, increased reimbursement for key rural/maternity services, and advanced technology upgrades for program integrity and health information exchange. Major focus areas included modernizing eligibility renewals, launching preventive children's behavioral health services statewide, and preparing for the Rural Health Transformation process via workgroups and studies in rural-oriented services. Key contacts: Jesse Springer wdh-medicaid-communications@wyo.gov
Event schedule:
- Annual PCMH Round-up Conference - 04/2025 - MT - Casper, WY
- CMS Approval of ABA Preventive Service - 10/31/2024
The 2023-2024 CAHPS Medicaid survey of Wyoming Children's Medicaid recipients had a 9.4% response rate with generally high satisfaction. Over 95% of families rated their children’s overall health as good, very good, or excellent. Opportunities for improvement include primary care appointment availability and specialist access.
Event schedule:
- CAHPS Medicaid Survey Fielding Start - 01/26/2024
- CAHPS Medicaid Survey Fielding End - 05/15/2024
QUALITY_IMPROVEMENT
Core Initiatives
Improve children’s health and satisfaction with Medicaid.
This 2025 statewide report analyzes the landscape and sustainability of Wyoming's rural ground EMS system. It estimates a $30 million annual funding gap between readiness costs (~$66.5M/yr) and service revenue (~$36.7M/yr), with most rural EMS agencies dependent on subsidies, cross-subsidization, and decreasing volunteer support. It recommends competitively procuring a statewide billing contractor and targeted state matching funds to improve financial sustainability and EMS access. Key contacts: Contact not individually listed in excerpt; see agency appendix
Event schedule:
- Report publication date - 06/04/2025
- Document publication date - 2025-06-04 - Wyoming
- Glendo EMS Service District 2025 mill levy ballot failure - 2025-05 - Glendo, Wyoming
- UPL program implementation retroactive start - 2023-07-01 - Wyoming
- Document date - 2025-06-04 - Wyoming Department of Health
- Report publication - 2025-06-04 - Wyoming Department of Health
Contact not individually listed in excerpt; see agency appendix - Agency/EMS Leader or Association Representative - Various (Torrington EMS, Crook County Medical Services District, Little Snake River EMS, North Big Horn Hospital EMS, American Medical Response, Buffalo EMS, Wyoming Hospital Association)
Core Initiatives
Improve the financial sustainability of Wyoming’s ground EMS system
Enhance EMS system efficiency via administrative and billing improvements
Support rapid EMS response times across rural and frontier regions
Show all initiatives (8)
Improve the financial sustainability of Wyoming’s ground EMS system
Enhance EMS system efficiency via administrative and billing improvements
Support rapid EMS response times across rural and frontier regions
Increase sustainable funding for EMS through innovative local solutions
Maximize billing and revenue collection for EMS services
Leverage existing local resources like fire departments and Critical Access Hospitals for EMS sustainability
Encourage regionalization and consolidation of EMS services
Improve EMS data collection and quality through Wyoming Ambulance Trip Reporting System (WATRS)
Pregnant By Choice is a Wyoming Medicaid program extending contraceptive coverage to women postpartum beyond the standard 60 days. It aims to reduce unintended pregnancies and improve maternal and child health by providing education, exams, and family planning services.
POPULATION_HEALTH
Core Initiatives
Improve maternal and child health outcomes
Increase access to family planning services for postpartum women
Reduce unintended pregnancies through education and contraceptive services
Spreadsheets, data exports, and reference documents — available for download but excluded from the main activity feed.
WY - 2026 - WMDP Locations Through the Years
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FY24 Adopted Budget -final.pdf
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Wyoming === Sheet: Readme === RHTP Data
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The program prioritizes chronic disease prevention, behavioral health, sustaining rural healthcare access, new care and payment models, workforce development, and technological advances. Key initiatives include enhancing emergency care access, applying health technology solutions, expanding the rural health workforce, and improving population health. Significant program milestones run throughout 2025 and 2026, with funding and applications starting in mid-2026.
Event schedule:
- First-year award announced - 12/29/2025
- Revised budget due to CMS - 01/20/2026
- Initial meetings with CMS project staff
- Application submission window (tentative) - July 2026
- Awards made; funds drawn down - August 2026 – September 2026
- Contract execution deadline - 10/01/2026
Event Schedule
First-year award announced - 12/29/2025
Revised budget due to CMS - 01/20/2026
Initial meetings with CMS project staff
Show all schedule items (6)
First-year award announced - 12/29/2025
Revised budget due to CMS - 01/20/2026
Initial meetings with CMS project staff
Application submission window (tentative) - July 2026
Awards made; funds drawn down - August 2026 – September 2026
Contract execution deadline - 10/01/2026
Core Initiatives
Chronic disease prevention and behavioral health
Sustaining access to care in rural communities
Innovative approaches to care delivery and payment models
Show all initiatives (6)
Chronic disease prevention and behavioral health
Sustaining access to care in rural communities
Innovative approaches to care delivery and payment models
Workforce development and training
Technological and consumer health solutions
IT advances and technical assistance
Build a resilient, digitally connected, community-anchored provider network to deliver flexible care across rural regions.
Design data-driven solutions tailored to the unique needs of rural residents.
Advance whole-person health through connected care technologies and coordinated pathways for behavioral health, chronic disease, maternal health, and social needs.
Promote sustainable access by focusing on the integration and comprehensive delivery of services leveraging technology and supporting workforce.
Strengthen the workforce through recruitment, retention, training, and credentialing programs.
Make Rural America Healthy Again through increased provision of primary care services, oral health services, and nutrition education.
Increase healthcare access and quality for improved chronic disease management and health outcomes.
Prioritize direct investment in provider capacity over creating new programs, recognizing local providers' understanding of their communities' needs.
Address significant barriers to rural healthcare access and quality focusing on highest disease burden populations and innovative transportation solutions.
Support rural clinical workforce, establish CINs, and empower patients focusing on disease prevention and healthy living.
Improve wellness by promoting nutrition, physical activity, and preventative care.
Improve primary care and long-term support leveraging technology, new delivery system networks and workforce development.
Empower patient empowerment and disease prevention focusing on expanding access, technology, and workforce development.
Address workforce participation barriers, establish health technology and partnership investments, and improve care access and healthcare sustainability.
Focus on care coordination, mental health support, leveraging technology, and workforce development particularly for agriculture and farming communities.
Improve access to care by focusing on rural clinical workforce, leveraging technology, and right-sizing service delivery.
Increase sustainable access to right-sized and coordinated rural medical care.
Build a durable rural workforce pipeline.
Improve metabolic, cardiovascular, and behavioral health outcomes.
Show all initiatives (42)
Increase sustainable access to right-sized and coordinated rural medical care.
Build a durable rural workforce pipeline.
Improve metabolic, cardiovascular, and behavioral health outcomes.
Use technology and payment models to improve chronic disease management and bring care closer to home.
Sustainable access
Workforce development
Tech innovation
Make rural America healthy
Innovative care
Improve the financial viability of small, rural hospitals to provide basic services to their communities
Expand affordable health insurance options
Recruit and retain primary care physicians to improve access and build longer relationships with patients
Train and recruit more nurses and related direct care workforce to improve staffing at hospitals and long-term care facilities
Strengthen obstetric/gynecological, labor/delivery and related services to provide safe childbirth
Recruit and retain more home health aides, and invest in home-and community-based alternatives to nursing home care
Expand the integration of behavioral health and primary care for whole person treatment
Improve access to specialty medical care in local communities
Improve or sustain ambulance availability for timely emergency responses
Recruit and retain more medical support staff for the healthcare industry
Improve nursing home quality and sustainability, with increased capacity for higher needs
Expand inpatient behavioral health care including crisis stabilization, psychiatric, residential addiction, and recovery services
Improve hospital accountability to cities and counties to reflect community needs
Build out mobile healthcare units to bring basic primary and preventive care to where people live
Improve coordination and referral of existing community services for patients and those in need
Expand options for behavioral healthcare for high-needs children to be served closer to home
Streamline paperwork and administrative burdens on healthcare providers to improve patient care focus
Expand licensure reciprocity and scope of practice to increase provider access including telehealth
Add transportation options for medical appointments, senior centers, and activities
Assist county jails and hospitals in managing people with high behavioral health needs
Invest in suicide prevention activities
Keep more medical care in-state rather than leaking out of state
Improve physician access to consult with specialists via telemedicine
Improve palliative and hospice care for end of life
Increase Emergency Medical Services training to improve ambulance care quality
Improve diabetes care by increasing access to dialysis, nutrition, podiatry, and specialty services
Improve prescription drug and pharmacy availability
Improve access to healthy foods and nutrition education
Encourage exercise, physical activity, and healthy lifestyle choices
Recruit and retain more dentists and hygienists to improve dental care access
Assist people with technology to better use telehealth
Reduce state regulations on healthcare providers, particularly in long-term care settings
Limit federal money and regulations in Wyoming's healthcare system
The Wyoming Frontier Information (WYFI) system is a statewide health information exchange connecting nearly all hospitals, many rural health clinics and providers, and public health agencies throughout Wyoming. The system enables participating healthcare providers to securely exchange patient information, support care coordination, and comply with HIPAA and e-Government Act standards. Strong data privacy, access, and security controls are detailed, including role-based access, encryption, and training for all users. Key contacts: Jesse Springer; Timothy Caswell
Event schedule:
- Assessment publication date - 08/17/2022
- Business Case Approval by OCIO - 2020-08-20 - Wyoming
- Amended Project Proposal Submission to ETS - 2021-12-09 - Wyoming
HEALTH_INFORMATION_TECHNOLOGY · QUALITY_IMPROVEMENT · OTHER · POPULATION_HEALTH · WORKFORCE
Contacts
Jesse Springer - Medicaid Technology and Business Operations Section Manager - Statewide
Timothy Caswell - Health Information Technology Manager - Statewide
Core Initiatives
Promote a healthier Wyoming by developing a statewide secured, connected, and coordinated health information technology system that supports effective and efficient healthcare.
Creating community-based virtual medical records and clinical applications to promote a healthier Wyoming through a statewide secure, connected, and coordinated health IT system.
This webpage provides general information about Wyoming's Rural Health Transformation Program but does not state any award amounts or sub-award recipients. It also offers links to other Wyoming Department of Health services and news items.
Event schedule:
- , 2026 - May 13 - CHEYENNE, WYOMING - With summer upon us and more people heading to Wyoming’s lakes and reservoirs to recreate, the Wyoming Department of...
- , 2026 - May 1 - The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has confirmed a case of measles in an adult from Fremont County with unconfirmed vaccination...
- , 2026 - Apr 20 - The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is excited to announce the Community Naloxone Resource Map. This new online tool makes it easier...
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NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
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Wyoming U.S. Census Bureau - Population Division B RHTP 2003 Data
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WY - 2018 - Claim Type and Payment Methodologies
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Rules for the Special Education Component within the Education Resource Block Grant Model
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Incident Management Specialist Regions Contact List
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Wyoming Department of Health Medicaid and Kid Care CHIP Application and Program Information
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Wyoming Department of Health - Healthcare Financing and Medicaid/Kid Care CHIP Overview
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WY - 2018 - TPL Requirements – Payment of Claims
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WY - 2018 - Institutionalized Medicaid Member; State Plan
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WY - 2018 - TPL Compliance Library Links
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WY - 2018 - “Appropriate Payer Solution” – DART Chart Outbound Data Structure to WY MMIS