CMS has announced the establishment of the Office of Rural Health Transformation (ORHT).
The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, established in 2025, is a $50 billion initiative to “strengthen rural health systems and expand sustainable access to care nationwide.” This new office will oversee that program and give it more organizational structure.
The office will “guide states in implementing their rural health transformation plans, provide technical assistance, coordinate federal and state partnerships, and ensure strong oversight and accountability throughout the five-year program, which will run through September 30, 2031.”
Principal Deputy Director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services Caprice Knapp said that the ORHT will help as states are “poised to undertake bold, ambitious work under the Rural Health Transformation Program,” ensuring “states have the tools, strategic guidance, and strong program stewardship necessary to improve outcomes for the communities they serve.”
