Nov. 7, 2025

State Submits Rural Health Transformation Application with WSMA Engagement, Support

H.R. 1 established a Rural Health Transformation Program intended to support patient access to care and rural health care systems across the country. Earlier this week, Washington state submitted its application for the fund, requesting the maximum state allotment of $200 million per year to support investments across the rural health care continuum. The Rural Health Transformation Program is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which will review and take action on state applications by Dec. 31.

The WSMA engaged extensively in the development of the application, meeting with state policymakers, submitting feedback on where funding should be directed, and lending formal support to the state's application. We're grateful to see relevant investments proposed in the application and that the WSMA will have representation on the advisory committee that will help implement the program. Notable proposed programinvestments include:

• Workforce
  • Family medicine residencies
  • Apprenticeships and on-the-job training
  • Rural nurse education
  • Rural health worker recruitment and retention
• Technology
  • Telehealth technology
  • Project ECHO
  • Rural practice technology support
• System capacity
  • Maternity, emergency care access
  • Value-based purchasing
  • Interfacility EMS tracking and coordination

Full details about the state's application and the Rural Health Transformation Program process are available on the Health Care Authority's website. The WSMA will continue to engage on this work in the coming months and will keep you apprised of any relevant developments.