Wisconsin

Wisconsin's Rural Health Transformation Program, supported by over $203 million in federal CMS funding for 2026, will launch 20 large-scale rural health projects focusing on technology, workforce, and integrated care. Initial milestones include establishing a formal advisory council, soliciting and awarding multiple statewide sub-grants for workforce development, facility IT, and coordinated care, and partnering with educational, public health, and tribal organizations. The program prioritizes behavioral health, rural workforce pipelines, and digital infrastructure to address access, equity, and quality challenges in rural communities.

This document provides federal funding compliance requirements for all Rural Health Transformation Program awards. It outlines prohibited and allowable costs, including detailed policy on construction, provider payments, workforce incentives, information technology, and programmatic priorities. Clear definitions of eligible activities and restrictions are provided to guide subgrantees and state program administrators. Event schedule: - c. Funding cannot be used for initiatives that fund certain cosmetic and experimental procedures that fall within the definition of a specified sex-trait modification procedure at 45 CFR 156.400 because that is beyond the scope of this program. 16. No more than 5% of total funding CMS awards to a State in a given budget period can support funding the replacement of an EMR system if a previous HITECH certified EMR system is already in place as of , 2025. a. Upgrades, enhancements, and added modules, interfaces, or functionality to existing EMR/EHR systems are allowable uses of funds and are not subject to the 5% limitation. 17. Funding towards initiatives similar to the “Rural Tech Catalyst Fund Initiative” (as described in the appendix) cannot exceed the lesser of (1) 10% of total funding awarded to a State in a given budget period or (2) $20M of total funding awarded to a State in a given budget period, and funding is subject to all restrictions and requirements described in the example initiative. 18. Clinician salaries or wage supports for facilities that subject clinicians to non-compete contractual limitations. 19. None of the funding shall be used by the State for an expenditure that is attributable to an intergovernmental transfer, certified public expenditure, or any other expenditure to finance the non-Federal share of expenditures required under any provision of law. 20. SSA Section 2105(c) , paragraphs (1), (7), and (9) apply as funding limitations. These limitations are related to general limitations, limitations on payment for abortions, and citizenship documentation requirements for payments made with respect to an individual. Examples of allowable costs: 21. States must focus funding on the following categories as described in Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21: a. Prevention and chronic disease : Promoting evidence-based, measurable interventions to improve prevention and chronic disease management. b. Provider payments : Providing payments to health care providers for the provision of health care items or services, subject to restrictions described in the funding policies and limitations. c. Consumer tech solutions : Promoting consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for the prevention and management of chronic diseases. d. Training and technical assistance : Providing training and technical assistance for the development and adoption of technology-enabled solutions that improve care delivery in rural hospitals, including remote monitoring, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies. e. Workforce : Recruiting and retaining clinical workforce talent to rural areas, with commitments to serve rural communities for at least 5 years. f. IT advances : Providing technical assistance, software, and hardware for significant information technology advances designed to improve efficiency, enhance cybersecurity capability development, and improve patient health outcomes. - September 1 - g. Appropriate care availability : Assisting rural communities to right size their health care delivery systems by identifying needed preventative, ambulatory, pre- hospital, emergency, acute inpatient care, outpatient care, and post-acute care service lines. h. Behavioral health : Supporting access to opioid use disorder treatment services, other substance use disorder treatment services, and mental health services. i. Innovative care : Developing projects that support innovative models of care that include value-based care arrangements and alternative payment models, as appropriate. 22. Additional uses designed to promote sustainable access to high quality rural health care services, as determined by the CMS Administrator, including: a. Capital expenditures and infrastructure : Investing in existing rural health care facility buildings and infrastructure, including minor building alterations or renovations and equipment upgrades to ensure long-term overhead and upkeep costs are commensurate with patient volume, subject to restrictions in the funding policies and limitations. b. Fostering collaboration : Initiating, fostering, and strengthening local and regional strategic partnerships between rural facilities and other health care providers to promote quality improvement, improve financial stability of rural facilities, and expand access to care. 23. Specific examples provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunity include: a. States can offer certain incentives to attract clinical workforce to work in rural areas provided the recipient of the incentive commits to working in rural areas for a minimum of 5 years . Funding for local housing for students or trainees in rural areas may be allowable if included as part of an approved initiative within the scope of the RHT Program. Note that payment for student or trainee housing is limited to short-term (less than 6 months) housing for rotations. b. Targeted technical assistance and training to help clinicians, medical coders, and other personnel better understand and use existing payment mechanisms already in place for care coordination services via Medicare and Medicaid or other payers. c. Creating, implementing, or enhancing IT systems, software, or data sharing infrastructure to streamline population health management and care coordination by sharing resources, making referrals, and ensuring the completion of the referral process that help with coordinating amongst stakeholders and/or population health management. Promoting community engagement, awareness of programs, and community input on program development, structure, and oversight. d. Training and integrating community health workers, care coordinators, peer support specialists, community paramedics, other auxiliary personnel, and behavioral health specialists into the care delivery system. Such personnel can then launch and support targeted outreach programs to engage and educate rural populations.

Core Initiatives

1. Strengthen rural health care workforce via innovative grants and career pathways
2. Drive rural technology and innovation through infrastructure investments
3. Transform rural care via multisector partnerships and coordinated systems of care