CMS Unveils Rural Health Heroes Office to Save Heartland Care
Published Date: 12/22/2025
Notice
Summary
CMS just launched the Office of Rural Health Transformation to boost healthcare in rural areas. Starting December 18, 2025, this new office will manage grants, work with states, and team up with partners to make sure rural communities get better access to care. This change affects rural healthcare providers and could speed up funding and support, helping make rural America healthier and stronger.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
CMS Creates Rural Health Office
On December 18, 2025, CMS established the Office of Rural Health Transformation within the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services to lead the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) and improve healthcare access and outcomes in rural communities.
Grants: Application Reviews and Awards
The Office will develop the Rural Health Transformation application process and criteria to use in grant application reviews and awards, and - in partnership with the Office of Acquisition and Grants Management - distribute funds to States in accordance with statutorily defined timelines.
State Guidance, Monitoring, and Accountability
The Division of State Rural Engagement will provide policy and operational guidance to States, collaborate on implementation of approved rural health transformation programs, conduct readiness assessments, ongoing monitoring, and hold States accountable for achieving goals in their rural health plans.
Data Systems and Fraud Oversight
The Division will work with CMS data and systems (for example, MSIS, Transformed-MSIS, MACPro, DataConnect, and the Medicaid & CHIP Data Collection Tool) to develop and maintain systems for data collection, review, and analysis, and will partner with the Center for Program Integrity and OAGM to identify and resolve vulnerabilities related to waste, fraud, and abuse.
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