New California bill would clear path for nonprofit to administer California’s RHT, Arizona delay, Nebraska HCAR, Wisconsin EHR survey
$6.9M in first year for potential administrator
In this issue:
Arizona officially moves its RHTP funding launch from April to June
Wisconsin posts EHR Readiness and Interest Survey
Nebraska sets initial HCAR meetings
Legislation Watch & Funding Alert: New California bill would clear path for nonprofit to administer California’s RHT
Arizona officially moves its RHTP funding launch from April to June
AHCCCS, the lead agency for Arizona’s $167M Rural Health Transformation Program, has revised its implementation timeline. The schedule it previously shared anticipated grant funding opportunities being released beginning in April 2026, with application review and award activities completed by August 2026. Under the updated plan, funding opportunities will now be released beginning in June 2026 and continue through the fall, and awards will begin in June 2026 on a rolling basis rather than wrapping by August — a roughly two-month delay on the front end. AHCCCS, working alongside the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Office of Economic Opportunity, attributed the shift to the additional setup time needed for “a strong, well-coordinated launch.” The program’s scope and funding commitment are unchanged: all Budget Year 1 funds must be obligated by October 30, 2026 and expended by September 30, 2027, with implementation, monitoring, and scaling continuing through 2030. AHCCCS emphasized that no action is required of stakeholders at this time.
Sources: RHTP Timeline updated from AHCCCS — UA Center for Rural Health, Arizona RHTP — AHCCCS
Wisconsin posts EHR Readiness and Interest Survey
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is seeking input from healthcare organizations to inform the development of the new statewide electronic health records (EHR) system.
The goal of the system is to facilitate high-quality care for patients in rural Wisconsin through new infrastructure that allows for better and faster interaction between providers and patients. Through this, Wisconsin’s rural health organizations can achieve economies of scale through a single statewide procurement. Participants will have access to a comprehensive clinical and billing system with longitudinal health records for each patient, a patient-facing portal, and a closed-loop referral network.
DHS requests a representative from each healthcare organization to complete a short survey to indicate interest in this program by Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
Nebraska sets initial HCAR meetings
Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Health Care Advisory Regions (HCARs) are established to provide structured, region-specific health care insight and coordinated input to the RHTP. The HCARs ensure that RHTP initiatives are informed by local health care delivery realities, workforce conditions, infrastructure capacity, and community needs, while remaining aligned with statewide priorities and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) program requirements.
Central Region
Monday Jun 17, 2026: 1:00pm – 4:00pm (Central Time - Chicago)
Home Federal Bank, 3311 W Stolley Park Rd, Grand Island, NE 68803, USA
