Wisconsin sets Advisory Committee, Vermont RFP, Colorado Advisory meeting, Big Legislative Moves in Alabama and Iowa
Rural Health Transformation Program Daily Brief, April 8, 2026
Wisconsin sets Advisory Council, publishes a timeline, pushes an EHR RFP, and signals additional contracting
Advisory council
The advisory council provides strategic guidance and input to DHS as a part of the state’s implementation. The council offers an opportunity to contribute to shaping how rural health priorities are addressed, bringing diverse provider, community, and lived experience perspectives to the table. Visit the council’s webpage to learn more.
Timeline
DHS will receive federal funding for five years to implement the initiatives of the program. CMS has not yet announced award amounts for the subsequent four years of the program.
From their newsletter:
Electronic health records system proposals due April 20
DHS is seeking proposals for a statewide electronic health records (EHR) system. The selected vendor will build a system to transform how providers interact with each other and with patients. The goal is to facilitate high-quality care for patients in rural Wisconsin. The selected vendor will design, implement, maintain, host, and manage a full-service EHR system in partnership with DHS and participating providers. The system will give providers the option to join a shared system with appropriate facility and provider-specific customizations, privacy, and security. The system will enable provider organizations to upgrade existing clinical and revenue systems and achieve economies of scale through a single statewide procurement.
To view the request for services, visit the eSupplier portal and search for S-FMF1944 OGM-26 or Event Number 14009.
lmgtfy: Wisconsin RFP Digital Access to Care RFS_FMF_1944_OGM-26_Final,pdf
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Upcoming grant funding opportunities
Listed below are several grant funding opportunities DHS plans to release in late spring or early summer, which will be open for a 10-week window. In addition to the list below, subrecipients will announce their funding opportunities over the course of the year. We will share those and related announcements with those signed up to receive these email updates, on the program webpage, and other forms of outreach.
Care coordination grants
These competitive grants will innovate care delivery in the state’s seven Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalitions regions, and will improve access to preventive services, primary and specialty care, dental services, and/or behavioral health services through team-based models of care delivered in trusted sites close to home.
Successful grantees will implement multidisciplinary strategies that address health needs, increase the use of preventive care, provide care in lower-cost settings such as homes, and reduce preventable hospital admissions and emergency room visits. Applications should reflect collaborations between partners.
Community health worker grants
These competitive grants will seek to boost adoption of community health workers as an evidence-based model to improve outcomes for people with chronic health conditions, especially those who are low-income or underserved.
Dental provider grants
DHS will provide competitive grants to dental clinics to adopt efficient cleaning technologies and expand routine dental services for rural Medicaid beneficiaries. Wisconsin aims to increase the efficiency of current Medicaid providers and incentivize dentists to enroll as Medicaid providers by subsidizing the purchase of these efficient technologies. The competitive grant will be available to dental clinics in rural areas that agree to serve a certain quota of Medicaid members proportional to the community. Beyond Medicaid, this technology will increase dental service quality and availability for all rural patients at participating clinics.
Rural technology transformation fund
Wisconsin will allocate funds to rural facilities to purchase technology that removes barriers to care, maximizes provider productivity, and ensures patients benefit from modern digital health tools. This will be based on a formula-based or standardized allocation to a broad base of rural providers to ensure that technological advancements reach every corner of Wisconsin. Facilities can leverage this one-time investment to adopt emerging health tech innovation focused on rural populations to promote consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions.
Vermont posts Pharmacy Test-to-Treat RFP
Vermont received approval to invest funds targeted at expanding pharmacists’ scope and capacity to include test-to-treat in more scenarios. By leveraging pharmacists as accessible, community-based providers, this investment would enhance primary care capacity, reduce unnecessary emergency visits, and strengthen Vermont’s integrated rural health care delivery system.
Colorado sets Advisory Committee meeting for April 24
Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Committee Meeting: Friday, April 24 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89203752406
Legislation Watch
Primary RHT Legislative Actions
Alabama is advancing four parallel appropriation bills to unlock its $203 million RHTP award across two fiscal years, while Iowa’s fund-creation bill clears the House unanimously and moves to a Senate subcommittee.
Alabama HB591 / SB368: Supplemental appropriation bills for the Rural Health Transformation Program for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. HB591, the House vehicle, has been read for the second time and placed on the calendar — the furthest any Alabama RHTP spending bill has advanced. SB368, the Senate companion, is currently indefinitely postponed. Alabama was awarded $203.4 million in federal RHTP funds under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with the Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) designated as the lead implementing agency. Alabama Daily News
Governor Ivey convened the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Advisory Group in February to shape spending priorities around the state’s 11-initiative rural strategy, which emphasizes making rural facilities more financially viable, expanding the healthcare workforce, and deploying telehealth infrastructure. The Legislature is expected to pass at least one of the supplemental appropriation vehicles before session ends. Alabama Reflector
Alabama HB614 / SB367: The forward-looking appropriation bills for the Rural Health Transformation Program for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027. HB614, introduced on March 12, has been read for the second time and placed on the calendar. SB367 is currently indefinitely postponed. Both bills appropriate up to $203,404,327 in federal RHTP funds to ADECA — signaling that Alabama intends to lock in the same funding level for Year Two before it has even spent Year One. Alabama Reflector
Alabama’s four-bill approach — House and Senate vehicles for each of FY26 and FY27 — creates redundancy in case one chamber’s bill stalls. The House versions (HB591 and HB614) are clearly the active tracks, with the Senate companions serving as fallbacks.
Iowa HF2743: Creates the Iowa Rural Health Transformation Fund and appropriates the state’s $209 million first-year RHTP award to support Healthy Hometowns, the state plan Governor Kim Reynolds submitted to CMS in late 2025. The fund channels money toward hospital technology upgrades, healthcare provider recruitment, telehealth expansion, maternal transport, and cancer screening — the five pillars of Iowa’s application. The House passed the bill 93–0 on March 31. Western Iowa Today
Iowa was the first state in the nation to award Rural Health Transformation Program funding, and HF2743 places the Department of Health and Human Services in charge of administering the $209 million. The bill’s unanimous House vote reflects broad bipartisan support for getting federal dollars moving before the fiscal year spending window closes. KCRG
A Senate subcommittee hearing is scheduled for this week — a signal that leadership intends to move the bill quickly through the upper chamber before session ends.
Adjacent legislation
Several bills touch policy areas adjacent to the RHTP — antitrust reform, medical residency expansion, federal fund oversight, and state budget vehicles — without directly implementing program commitments.
Alabama HB605: The Rural Health Antitrust Immunity Act, which authorizes collaboration among rural health care providers and provides limited immunity from state and federal antitrust laws under a certification and supervision framework administered by the State Health Planning and Development Agency. The bill passed the House on March 31 and was carried over to the call of the chair in the Senate Healthcare Committee. A companion bill, SB350, is currently indefinitely postponed. Alabama Daily News
The antitrust immunity concept is gaining traction in multiple RHTP states — Missouri passed a similar bill this session. Alabama’s RHTP application includes policy reforms and shared-service infrastructure as key initiatives, and HB605 could be viewed as enabling legislation for provider collaboration envisioned in the state plan. However, the bill does not reference the RHTP directly. Worth tracking as potential enabling infrastructure. Missouri Independent
Hawaii HR163 / HCR173: Paired House resolution and concurrent resolution urging Maui Health to collaborate with stakeholders to establish a full-time medical residency program on the island of Maui. The House Finance Committee recommended passage unanimously (14–0). Hawaii was awarded $188.9 million through the RHTP, and the state’s Rural Health Transformation Plan includes workforce expansion as a core initiative — but these resolutions do not reference the program directly. Non-binding resolutions; track only if the state’s RHTP implementation plan references Maui residency expansion. Hawaii News Now
Connecticut SB00479: An act requiring legislative oversight of federal fund applications submitted by the Department of Social Services. DSS is the designated lead agency for Connecticut’s $154 million RHTP award, so this bill would give the General Assembly a formal review role over any future RHTP-related applications or amendments the department submits to CMS. Received a Joint Favorable vote (16–7) on March 19. CT Mirror
The bill does not name the RHTP, but its practical effect is to add a legislative check on the agency responsible for managing it. Connecticut’s RHTP award is already raising questions about oversight and implementation accountability. The bill was assigned File Number 480 and awaits scheduling on the Senate calendar. Recommend tracking — this is a governance bill with real implications for how Connecticut’s RHTP dollars are managed. CT Public
Idaho H0920: Appropriation to the State Board of Education and Board of Regents of the University of Idaho for health education programs for FY2027. The House passed it 47–22 and the Senate 22–11 before the Governor signed it on March 27 (Session Law Chapter 195, effective July 1, 2026). Idaho’s RHTP application emphasizes healthcare workforce training, and this appropriation funds the state’s medical education pipeline — including programs like WWAMI — but the bill does not reference the RHTP directly. Signed into law. Idaho Capital Sun