The Florida Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) modernizes, stabilizes, and sustains rural health systems across 31 counties, serving approximately 1.2 million Floridians. - State of Florida Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Project Summary Lead Agency: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (the Agency) Subrecipients: To be selected through a procurement process. Project Purpose and Goals The Florida Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) modernizes, stabilizes, and sustains rural health systems across 31 counties, serving approximately 1.2 million Floridians. The program’s purpose is to expand access to high-quality, affordable healthcare by addressing provider shortages, technological fragmentation, and unsustainable reimbursement structures. Florida is committed to Making Rural Florida Healthy Again by advancing the following strategic goals: 1. Improve Access: Combine urban-led rural clinics, mobile health, community paramedicine, tele-specialties, remote monitoring, retail pharmacy clinics, and nutrition-focused Health and Lifestyle initiatives to offer preventive, chronic disease, behavioral health, and maternal care directly to residents. 2. Improve Outcomes: Reduce preventable hospitalizations and improve chronic, behavioral, and maternal health outcomes through evidence-based, technology-enabled interventions. 3. Enhance Technology and Data Use: Advance telehealth, remote monitoring, and health information exchange and encounter notification systems to improve continuity, efficiency, and performance tracking. 4. Strengthen Workforce: Build a lasting rural workforce pipeline through the Clinical Training Investment Opportunity (CTIO) initiative, with supervised rotations and five-year rural service commitments. 5. Ensure Financial Sustainability: Implement value-based payment models and promote integrated Medicare-Medicaid plans initiative to stabilize rural hospitals and strengthen provider solvency through more streamlined billing for providers. Total Budget Amount: $200 million Use of Funds: Florida will deploy RHTP funds through a statewide strategy to modernize rural health infrastructure, strengthen the workforce, and advance value-based, data-driven care. Funding will support new rural and satellite clinics, expand mobile health and community paramedicine services, and integrate telehealth and remote monitoring for preventive, primary, and specialty care. Enhancing behavioral health access with regional telepsychiatry hubs, workforce development, and increased access via retail clinics in rural pharmacies will also be prioritized. The Health and Lifestyle initiative will address food insecurity, nutrition counseling, and school-based wellness programs to reduce chronic disease. Additional funds will support the Integrated Medicare-Medicaid Plans Education and Outreach initiative, provider onboarding to the Florida Health Information Exchange, and advanced diagnostic technologies. Florida will further promote Value-Based Purchasing and Patient-Centered Medical Home transformation to improve care coordination, efficiency, and sustainability. This funding aims to build a sustainable rural health system that expands access and improves outcomes for 1.2 million rural Floridians.
