Kansas rural health transformation plan - project goals: transform kansas' rural health care delivery system by (1) realizing meaningful reductions in chronic disease rates and avoidable…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded a cooperative agreement to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for $887.592 million on December 29, 2025, under the Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) to transform Kansas' rural health care delivery system through five integrated initiatives: expanding primary and secondary prevention programs, securing local access to primary care, building a sustainable rural workforce, enabling value-based care, and harnessing data and technology. The award runs through October 30, 2030, and covers place of performance in Kansas.

The recipient will deploy financial incentives for rural providers to implement and sustain evidence-based practices, support transformative projects to form or expand regional partnerships, administer a statewide accountable food is medicine program with community health worker deployment, develop focused behavioral health interventions, and enable rural providers to engage in data sharing, aggregated patient outcome analysis, expanded telehealth and remote monitoring, artificial intelligence applications, and consumer-facing technologies. The program targets meaningful reductions in chronic disease rates and avoidable hospitalizations, substantially reduced negative operating margins at rural Kansas hospitals, improved provider-to-population ratios for primary care, dental, and mental health disciplines, 100% of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in rural Kansas in accountable care relationships by 2031, and eased nursing and allied health shortages.

Sub-recipients include the Ukhs Care Collaborative Association (which implements rural residency program development, provider capacity-building, Medicaid beneficiary engagement programs, nurse navigator recruitment and training, rural telehealth clinic scheduling, and mobile integrated health pilots, with downstream sub-awards to the University of Kansas Medical Center and Healthworks KHA Foundation); the Kansas Department for Children and Families; Greeley County Health Services, Inc.; Prairiestar Health Center Inc.; Clay County Medical Center; Pratt Regional Medical Center; Ashland Health Center; Wilson Medical Center; Great Plains of Smith County, Inc.; and Iroquois Center for Human Development, Inc.

Kansas rural health transformation plan - project goals: transform kansas' rural health care delivery system by (1) realizing meaningful reductions in chronic disease rates and avoidable hospitalizations for complications related to chronic disease in rural kansas; (2) substantially reducing the number of rural kansas hospitals with negative operating margins; (3) improving provider-to-population ratios for primary care, dental and mental health disciplines and ease nursing and allied health shortages in rural kansas; (4) having 100% of medicare and medicaid beneficiaries in rural kansas in accountable care relationships by 2031; (5) and enabling rural kansas providers to meaningfully engage in data sharing, analysis of aggregated patient and outcome data, expanded use of telehealth and remote monitoring, appropriate use of artificial intelligence, and utilization of consumer-facing technologies. Total budget amount: $200 million per year for five years. Description of how funds will be used: the state of kansas' rural health transformation plan includes five initiatives tied to the to the rural health transformation program's five strategic goals and fully addressing the ten initiative-based factors specified by CMS: (1) expand primary and secondary prevention programs; (2) secure local access to primary care; (3) build a sustainable rural workforce; (4) enable value-based care; and (5) harness data and technology. For each initiative, the state has developed programs and projects to achieve the initiative's objectives. The plan is comprehensive in scope, reaching all rural communities in the state and all types of rural providers. Key programs include (1) financial incentives for rural providers to implement and sustain evidence-based practices; (2) support for transformative projects to form or expand regional partnerships; (3) a statewide accountable food is medicine program supported in part by deployment of community health workers; (5) a focused behavioral health services program including integration of behavioral in primary care and embedding behavioral health supports in emergency departments and nursing facilities; (6) a comprehensive remote patient monitoring program using cutting-edge technologies; (7) deployment of consumer-facing technologies to support healthy lifestyles and manage chronic conditions; (8) new transportation models and innovative patient care resources to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time; (9) specific interventions to help rural providers improve revenue and reduce operating costs; and (10) targeted training and recruitment programs to address specific rural workforce challenges. The initiatives include several additional programs and projects to drive transformation and make rural america healthy again. The plan, developed with significant stakeholder input, includes a detailed implementation plan with an aggressive timeline, a comprehensive evaluation plan, and a practical sustainability plan. Every dollar in the budget is committed to helping rural communities thrive through better health.