The Rural Health Transformation Program: What Health Systems Leaders Need to Know

The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program is a $50 billion opportunity for rural health systems to reduce patient wait times and expand access. This post explains how the program works, what makes it different from past rural health funding, and how partners like DexCare can help rural health systems achieve their goals.

Rural health systems are a lifeline for patients in underserved areas. But maintaining high levels of patient access has become challenging in recent years, with more than 70% of rural hospitals currently operating at a loss.

Now, however, hope is on the horizon. The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program has committed $50 billion over five years to rebuild rural healthcare delivery. States have already applied for funding, driven by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz’s rallying cry to, “Think big and submit audacious proposals.” And your health system could qualify for state grants so you can expand access to more patients.

Let’s examine what this opportunity means for rural health system administrators. 

What makes the RHT program different from past rural health initiatives?

Past rural health funding focused on survival, providing short-term grants that helped health systems stay open another year or two. The RHT Program pushes for long-term sustainability instead. It encourages structural change—such as new care models, technology adoption, workforce development, and regional coordination—that could sustain rural communities for decades. 

With this renewed focus, rural hospitals can use the RHT Program to solve some of their most pressing challenges, including:

• Reducing the national average time-to-appointment of 31 days, which is typically longer in rural areas
• Avoid the resulting $32 billion in avoidable costs that happen when appointment delays force patients into emergency departments for routine care

 

More than 70% of rural hospitals currently operate at a loss. The RHT Program is designed to reverse that trend with bold, sustainable solutions.

 

Envisioning what’s possible with RHT funding

With the right level of funding and the appropriate tech partner, rural hospitals can take innovative approaches and eliminate barriers to care.

To see how this can make a meaningful impact toward improved health outcomes, consider a farmer in rural Pennsylvania. He’s in the fields all day and can’t call during business hours to schedule appointments. Seeing his doctor means taking a full day off and driving two hours each way. Specialists are four hours away. Virtual visits aren’t available at his local health center.

With transformation funding and a partnership with a real-time care orchestration platform, things could change at his local health system. The farmer could schedule appointments online after dinner, and have virtual visits with both local providers and regional specialists. 

By opening up access, the farmer receives care sooner, identifies potential health problems earlier, and gets the care he needs without leaving his home. The rural health system benefits by delivering care in a lower-cost setting, easing margin pressures while also enhancing overall care quality.

RHT funding could support similar initiatives. The model shows how to meet patients where they are, use technology to extend provider capacity, and build cross-sector partnerships that solve access problems.

Opening up rural health patient access with the right partner

Rural hospitals in states that have received RHT funding should start planning their transformation strategies now. Don’t try to solve everything alone or craft the perfect plan in isolation. Partnerships with leading healthcare technology vendors will provide expertise, proven solutions, and implementation support that many rural health systems can’t develop independently on a short timeline.

A partner like DexCare illustrates the point. Our platform already serves more than 57 million patients across all 50 states and partners with leading health systems, including Kaiser Permanente, SSM Health, Texas Health Resources, and Piedmont. DexCare’s work directly supports the RHT Program goals and satisfies multiple approved uses of funds, including:

Coordinated access across the system 

Centralized scheduling through DexCare provides system-wide visibility into available and excess provider capacity so it can be used effectively. This level of digital coordination allows rural health systems to stretch their resources further, balance patient loads, and avoid access gaps that leave patients waiting. For example, at Providence, which spans seven states, DexCare ensures patients are seen when and where they prefer, with system-wide visibility into open appointments. 

On-demand safety net 

When in-person providers are at capacity, DexCare provides Virtual On-Demand. This allows patients to connect with credentialed primary care and specialty care providers who can see them quickly, from any device, while results are captured to keep care connected. DexCare already operates a 50-state Virtual On-Demand network for Kaiser Permanente, serving 3.6 million patients, that unifies 18 separate EHR instances into one platform for 24/7 scheduling and same-day access.

Care closer to home

At the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), 75% of patients live 10+ miles from the nearest healthcare facility. To close the gap, URMC partnered with Five Star Bank, Higi, DexCare, and Verizon to place telemedicine health stations in bank branches across rural upstate New York. Residents can check blood pressure, connect with a provider virtually, and manage basic health needs while running errands. Similar hubs could be placed in Federally Qualified Health Centers, libraries, or senior centers in rural areas to make care private, convenient, and always available.

Tracking RHT Program metrics and delivering results

The RHT program requires quarterly reporting, which means health systems should begin developing a baseline now. Focus areas can include access metrics that show whether patients receive care faster, efficiency metrics that demonstrate whether the system is doing more with the same resources, and adoption metrics that show patients are actually using the new tools and access points you’ve built.

DexCare routinely tracks all three types of metrics and delivers measurable results. Our platform enables:

• 40% more patients to be treated with the same clinical resources
• An average 5-day reduction in patient wait times
• 31% of visits from new patients by expanding access beyond traditional networks
• 350,000 hours of avoidable ED visits diverted each year, keeping care closer to home and protecting scarce hospital resources

How can rural health systems start accessing RHT Program funding?

To access RHT Program funding, rural hospitals must apply for grants from their state health department. In your application, state officials will need to hear what gaps matter most to your community and what solutions you’re prepared to implement. Be specific: Don’t just say “we need better access.” Explain whether improving access means scheduling technology, virtual care capacity, or workforce support.

Also, bring potential partnerships to the table. States will want to see real collaboration and solutions that can work. If you already have a technology partner that can help you close your gaps, say so. That makes your priorities clearer and easier for the state to consider.

The strongest state applications will reflect input from health systems that came prepared with clear needs and actionable plans.

Solve the challenges you’ve always wanted to fix

The RHT Program represents an unprecedented opportunity for rural health systems to close the patient access gap. 

At DexCare, we’d love the opportunity to sit down with your team, share what we’ve learned, and help you put together a strong application. Together, we can expand access and make sure people in your community get the care they need—no matter how far they live from the hospital. Reach out to us today.