HMA Solutions
HMA’s Experts Support States in Rural Health Initiatives
RHTP Requirements and Opportunities: Now What?
As of November 5th, each state should have applied for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) designed to support communities across the United States who face unique and persistent healthcare challenges. Residents in rural areas often have limited access to care, a shortage of service providers—primary care, behavioral health, emergency services, and clinical specialists—and significant barriers in transportation, connectivity and care coordination among providers.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will announce funding by the end of the year, with states receiving notice of their allocations and potentially feedback on their application content. States are now tasked with developing comprehensive plans to enhance rural healthcare infrastructure, improve access, integrate care, and demonstrate measurable outcomes within tight timelines. The RHTP requires:
A strong management structure at the state level, including dashboards and oversight of programs funded through this award
Defined goals and sustainable initiatives in chronic disease management, primary care, behavioral health, maternal health, digital innovation, workforce initiatives, and other topics
Demonstrated outcomes that evidence improvements in rural access and health outcomes, as well as the care experience of rural residents
The short turnaround and wide range of components and requirements in the RHTP application process will mean there is a lot of detail left to be decided. States should be prepared to engage in a planning process that capitalizes on near-term opportunities and lays the groundwork for implementing sustainable transformation initiatives. HMA is ready to provide support with practical, field tested solutions for immediate effect and support the development of last reforms.
HMA’s Rural Track Record
HMA is a national leader in healthcare consulting, with a multidisciplinary team of over 700 experts experienced in policy, finance, clinical services, analytics, and community engagement. HMA has supported a diverse array of clients serving rural and frontier communities, including state and local governments, health systems, federally qualified health centers, tribal organizations, providers of every specialty, and community-based groups.
Examples of some of HMA’s past work in rural health include:
Primary Care improvement: HMA partnered with New Mexico Human Services Department to reform primary care payment models, addressing sustainability and fiscal soundness for rural providers. This work involved designing, testing, and evaluating new models, engaging stakeholders, and supporting implementation through provider training and analysis.
Tribal Behavioral Health Systems: In Montana, HMA assessed gaps and provided the state recommendations to improve behavioral health systems for tribal communities, focusing on culturally competent, integrated care models.
Strengthening the financial health of rural providers: In Colorado and Georgia, HMA supported the development of value-based payment strategies for rural providers by analyzing fiscal operations and performance and creating operational pathways to enhance sustainability and care quality.
Supporting rural residents through community interventions: HMA developed a toolkit for tackling access challenges for dually eligible individuals in rural areas, offering actionable solutions for policymakers and providers to improve care and outcomes.
Workforce Development: HMA has led numerous initiatives to address workforce shortages in rural settings, providing solutions for recruitment, retention, and care coordination, particularly in behavioral health. As a founding member of the Workforce Solutions Partnership, we have captured near- and longer-term solutions to behavioral health workforce shortages.
How HMA Can Assist States in Executing RHTP
HMA offers a comprehensive suite of services to help states and their partners successfully implement RHTP initiatives, all under one roof. From actuarial and financial skills to clinical and operational expertise, policy, and analytics, HMA can support successful implementation of your State’s Rural Health Transformation program.
Here are some of the ways we can support your efforts:
Program integrity and effectiveness
Design robust oversight tools to monitor state programs, ensuring transparency in funding flows, program goals, and outcomes.
Provide data-driven insights, program monitoring, and evaluation to demonstrate impact and guide continuous improvement.
Conduct financial assessments and provide recommendations to improve the solvency of rural healthcare systems.
Initiative design and implementation
Support and coach providers and health systems in operational change, clinical organization, e-health adoption, and integrated care models tailored for rural settings.
Leverage proven strategies to address workforce shortages, integrate behavioral health with primary care, and implement scalable solutions.
Design and help execute chronic disease management programs tailored to rural populations and systems.
Help implement the maternal “hub-and-spoke” model and other efforts to improve birth outcomes and access to care
Offer field-tested tools for community engagement and assessment like the HEARD Toolkit for rural residents and other resources to address disparities, improve access, and ensure the needs of vulnerable rural populations are met.
Design, test, and scale innovative models and pilots that align with state and community RHTP goals.
Sustainability
Develop and facilitate effective partnerships and information exchange among government entities, providers, payers, and community organizations to align efforts and maximize the impact of RHTP investments.
Provide a range of financial, revenue, and operational tools for states and rural providers. These tools can help make grant-funded activities sustainable, lasting change.
Conduct a range of workforce development initiatives to enhance access and optimize virtual and in-person care experiences.
A unique HMA differentiator is our team of clinicians – primary care and specialty care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, registered nurses, behavioral health providers among others – who bring years of direct care delivery experience and the ability to engage other clinicians to effect change and innovation across the delivery system. All of our clinicians have worked in rural and economically disadvantaged communities, and most have worked on rural health initiatives in Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota and other states. This team has been instrumental in developing solutions that encompass a deep understanding of the interplay between medical, behavioral health and social determinants of health as they all contribute to the individuals’ and communities’ wellbeing. Moreover, this team has helped design innovative solutions that incorporate telehealth, remote monitoring, patient apps, and other technologies that engage patients in their care, facilitate care team collaboration, and ultimately close care gaps and reduce instances of avoidable, costly care.
With extensive hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the rural health landscape, HMA is uniquely positioned to help states navigate the complexities of the RHTP, drive sustainable change, and improve health outcomes for rural communities nationwide.
Contact our experts:
R.J. Briscione
Principal
John Eller
Regional Director
Farah Hanley
Regional Director
Alicia M. Johnson
Regional Director
Beth Kidder
Regional Director
Andrea Maresca
Managing Director, Information Services
Juan Montanez
Managing Director
Tonya Moore
Associate Principal
Kathleen Nolan
Senior Advisor
Robin A. Preston
Senior Regional Vice President
Lina Rashid
Principal
Jay Reiser
Principal
Margaret Tatar
Vice President, Client Solutions
