In this issue:
Alaska fielded $2.5B in Year 1 requests against $272M and has notified 19 of 394 applicants, per RHTP Advisory Council materials
California posts CalRHT EHR Modernization Grant FAQs three days before the August 21 close, and rules out vendors, HIEs and consortiums
North Dakota answers a health technology company’s neutral-convener question on Coordinating and Connecting Care, $1 million closing August 26
Montana has operationalized $157 million of its $233.5 million Year 1 award, per the Aug. 6 Stakeholder Advisory Committee materials, with three procurements still to post in August
Montana names MHREF the winner of its Center of Excellence Implementation Partner contract, $105.5 million
Nebraska has $8,344,000 out under Farm-to-School Procurement and Policy Technical Assistance (TA), closing August 31
Mississippi is hiring a consultant through Knowledge Services posting 162359 to write its statewide Health Information Exchange solicitation
Alaska fielded $2.5B in Year 1 requests against $272M and has notified 19 of 394 applicants, per RHTP Advisory Council materials
Total Year 1 asks were approximately $2.5 billion against the state’s $272,174,855.72 award. Betsy Wood, Director of the Office of Health Savings, told the Advisory Council on July 1 that most Letters of Interest were not advanced for that reason alone — requests far exceeded available resources.
The funnel, as published August 17: nearly 1,800 LOIs from 864 unique organizations, narrowed to 403 implementation and 28 planning proposals from 224 unique organizations, of which 366 implementation and 28 planning applications were actually submitted. As of August 7, 13 implementation and 6 planning projects had received notices of intent to award.
Decisions release every Friday. DOH names its own drags: missing required documentation, additional information needed before a notice can issue, CMS review under ongoing guidance updates, and budget accuracy.
New Business on the agenda was Year 2 planning. Four more regional meetings are scheduled — Valdez September 3, Greater Anchorage September 22, Juneau November 12, and Utqiagvik/Northslope undated — and the deck says takeaways will be integrated into Year 2 planning. Reports from each meeting go back to communities.
California posts CalRHT EHR Modernization Grant FAQs: rules out vendors, HIEs and consortiums
Applications close Friday, August 21 at 3:00 p.m. PT. We covered the opening on July 21 — the scoring rubric, the rip-and-replace-only rule, the Data Exchange Framework connectivity plan. The FAQ adds the eligibility answer that matters most to this audience: only eligible rural provider organizations may apply. Vendors, health information exchanges and consortiums cannot.
Not fundable: EHR upgrades, optimization or feature additions; anything spent before the grant agreement is executed; maintenance past the budget period; QHIO and HIE participation fees. First-year licensing and subscription fees only.
Separately, the funding page this morning labeled Accelerator Partners and Expand and Support Rural Workforce Capacity closed and dropped both application-portal links.
North Dakota answers a health technology company’s neutral-convener question on Coordinating and Connecting Care, $1 million closing August 26
210-362 closes Tuesday, August 26 at 5:00 p.m. CT — roughly $1 million, one award, operating period ending August 31, 2027, indirect capped at 10%, no capital expenditures. It buys planning products for a neutral, sustainable, statewide Community Information Exchange and closed-loop referral system.
Four questions went up dated Aug. 17, and the third one is the demand-side tell:
Can you clarify how HHS will evaluate the neutral-convener requirement for applicants that are affiliated with or part of a healthcare technology company, provided the proposed planning work is vendor…
The answer holds the line: maintaining a neutral perspective is fundamental to a fair and open evaluation. The solicitation language it points back to bars favoring “a particular healthcare system, provider, payer, technology vendor, proprietary technology solution or other organizational interest.” A vendor-affiliated entity asked whether it could convene the process that will shape a statewide CIE, and North Dakota did not say no — it said prove it.
