Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP)

Overview

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is a $50 billion federal opportunity to improve health care in rural areas across all fifty states.

The Alaska Department of Health (DOH) has submitted an application to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to bring this funding to Alaska.

• $50 billion will be allocated to participating states over five years, with half of the funds split evenly across all states and half allocated based on rural health needs
• Alaska is expected to receive a larger share due to its rural geography
• Funds may be used for a wide variety of activities to improve rural health care, including technology modernization, workforce development, innovative care models, and prevention measures for chronic disease and substance use disorder

Application and Proposed Initiatives

As part of its application, Alaska proposed six statewide initiatives that reflect ideas and feedback from hundreds of organizations and community partners. These initiatives outline how Alaska could use RHTP funds to improve access to care, strengthen the workforce, support healthier communities, and transform Alaska’s health care delivery systems.

You can view the program summary and proposed initiatives document here:

The six proposed initiatives are:

1. Healthy Beginnings: Investing in maternal and child health to help Alaskan families start strong
2. Health Care Access: Expanding and maintaining access to essential health services in rural, remote, and frontier communities
3. Healthy Communities: Promoting healthy lifestyles and investing in preventive care
4. Pay for Value: Fiscal Sustainability: Pursuing innovative payment models to build a stronger, more sustainable health care system
5. Strengthen Workforce: Growing and supporting skilled, resilient health care teams across Alaska
6. Spark Technology & Innovation: Updating technology and infrastructure to improve care and drive innovation

What’s Next

CMS will now review all state applications and is expected to announce award decisions by December 31, 2025.

After awards are announced, DOH will share more information for organizations, communities, and providers interested in participating in or applying for RHTP-funded projects.

To stay informed:

• Sign up for updates to this page here.
• Send questions or comments about the Rural Health Transformation Fund to DOH.RHTF@alaska.gov

Important dates

• September 16, 2025: CMS released the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
• November 5, 2025: State applications are due to CMS
• November – December 2025: CMS reviews state RHTP applications
• December 31, 2025: CMS award decisions due

Background: Alaska’s Collaborative Approach

To prepare Alaska’s RHTP application, DOH gathered input from across the state through a Request for Information (RFI) issued in summer 2025.

• The Department received responses from 160 outside groups, including over 400 project ideas and suggestions.
• 77% of respondents are either located in Alaska or have worked here before.
• 36% of respondents were health care providers (including Tribal health providers).
• Other respondents included health technology companies (15%), health consulting firms (15%), and patient advocates (11%). Fewer responses came from community organizations, trade groups, schools, government agencies, and public officials.

(Note: Responses from DOH teams and advisory boards were collected separately.)

Ideas from these responses helped shape the six initiatives included in Alaska’s final RHTP application. You can read the RFI Response Detailed Summary here: