This project will support improved health outcomes, strengthening rural health care infrastructure, attract/retain more health care providers, and technology innovation across rural Nevada. - Nevada’s Project Summary Nevada is pleased to apply for the federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program. The new 5-year RHT funding program represents an unprecedented opportunity for states to take meaningful action for strengthening their local rural health systems. With Nevada’s vast geography and sparsely populated rural counties, rural Nevadans often struggle to access reliable and timely health care. This is primarily due to the inherent challenges rural conditions present in creating the economies of scale needed to build and sustain a full continuum of care in rural communities. Through this infusion of federal funds, Nevada seeks to deploy four strategic initiatives to improve health outcomes through reliable, innovative, and sustainable care: 1. A rural health outcomes accelerator program to invest $30 million in efforts aimed at improving health by increasing the use of value-based care to reward rural providers for greater efficiencies and improved outcomes and for using innovative care models that prevent and manage chronic disease, including but not limited to new online collaborative care strategies, remote and/or hybrid approaches to care, online patient health management tools, and virtual provider mentorship programs that can augment health system capacity and serve as physician extenders. 2. A flex fund for rural providers to bolster and modernize the state’s rural health care infrastructure with a total of $40 million in available investments for new medical technologies, equipment, supplies, mobile units, emergency services, etc. Another key aspect of this initiative is that the state will encourage rural providers to work together to get a better deal by using regional purchasing strategies and sharing arrangements. 3. A workforce recruitment and rural access program to address historic gaps in the state’s rural provider workforce. Multiple strategies will be employed with the support of $80 million to address immediate and long-term provider gaps, including but not limited to new incentives for providers to live and serve in rural areas of the state, tuition assistance for workforce education and training programs with commitments to serve rural Nevadans post-education, and a rural physician residency program. 4. A rural health innovation and technology grant program of $30 million for innovative technologies and modernization of health data and records systems with a focus on aligning with the CMS Digital Health Ecosystem and cybersecurity needs for rural health systems. Through these four initiatives, Nevada believes it can strengthen its rural care health system so that they can better weather the fiscal changes ahead with the changes under H.R. 1 and address the historic gaps in access to care and poorer health outcomes rural communities face as compared to urban areas of the state.
