Welcome to Missouri's website for its Rural Health Transformation Program
Missouri is participating in the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a major five‑year federal initiative to strengthen healthcare in rural communities. Through the MO HealthNet Division, DSS is leading the effort with support from DHSS and DMH. Missouri has received more than $216 million in first‑year funding from CMS to begin building a sustainable, high‑quality rural healthcare system that will benefit Missourians for years to come. To learn more, please explore additional details on our website.
How Missouri is Transforming Rural Health
Our Vision
Every rural Missourian has access to the high-quality care they need through a delivery system that is well aligned, community anchored, and built to last.
Our Objectives
Improving health outcomes
Strengthen healthcare quality through integrated care coordination, aligned incentives, and evidence-based practices so that rural Missourians consistently experience seamless, high-value care.
Expanding access to care
Ensure rural Missourians can access primary and behavioral health providers close to home, community-based maternity options, with connections to specialists and complex care enabled by telehealth and provider interoperability.
Strengthening provider sustainability
Reinforce the long-term sustainability of rural providers through targeted investments in infrastructure, adoption of innovative technologies, and payment models that reflect the realities of rural care delivery.
RHTP Strategic Pillars
- Regional Coordinating Networks and Hub Activation: Create local and regional groups that help providers coordinate care and focus on critical needs, spanning 104 counties
RCNs will align and support 27 local community Hubs through consistent statewide coordination and execution, strengthening access to care and improving community health outcomes - Alternative Payment Models: Use new payment approaches that reward teamwork and better health outcomes.
APMs will establish a shared-value payment model that reinvests savings from reduced avoidable cost and utilization back into rural communities - Digital Backbone: Build shared technology systems so providers can communicate and share information easily.
The Digital Backbone will establish the technology foundation for ToRCH Care through platform interoperability, data modernization, and closed-loop social care referrals that enable coordinated care delivery - Rural Health Workforce Programs: Train, recruit, and keep health care workers in rural areas.
Workforce programs will strengthen the rural talent pipeline by cultivating, recruiting, training, and retaining clinicians and other critical health care professionals
- Provider Transformation: Help rural hospitals and clinics modernize how they operate, including strategic renovations
Provider transformation will advance operational innovation and strategic facility investments that strengthen long-term sustainability while preserving access to care
Funding & Program Timeline
For each budget period, recipients will have until the end of the following fiscal year October 30 to spend awarded funding. Budget Period 1 will start on December 29, 2025, and Subsequent Budget Periods will start on October 31 of each budget year.
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Announcements & News
8/31/2026 - The DSS Rural Health Transformation Office has issued a Request for Information (RFI) as it looks to expand virtual care in rural Missouri
This RFI seeks input from vendors to help shape two distinct tracks: (1) Remote Patient Monitoring for Maternal Care and (2) Telehealth Specialist Access for Rural Hospitals and Providers. The effort is part of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and will help the state understand available solutions and inform its approach to expanding virtual care for rural communities.
07/29/2026 - Missouri Announces Upcoming Grant Opportunity to Modernize Rural Healthcare Facilities
DSS Rural Health Transformation Office (RHTO) announced the release of an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the Smart Growth and Service Line Modification initiative under Missouri’s Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) Care Model.
This initiative is part of a multi-phase funding strategy to support the DSS mission of improving rural healthcare access and patient outcomes. While the first phase will address immediate facility safety and the preservation of core services, this second phase will focus on proactive capacity building.
Read more: Missouri Announces Upcoming Grant Opportunity to Modernize Rural Healthcare Facilities
- Past Announcements
07/24/2026
07/20/2026
- Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) announces partnership to expand rural maternal healthcare
07/17/2026
07/02/2026
06/05/2026
06/04/2026
05/06/2026
05/15/2026
Key Resources
- ToRCH Care Resources
- Roadshow Resources
- Inside Missouri's RHTP Newsletter
- Press Releases
- 5/15/2026 Press Release: Missouri Department of Social Services Releases ToRCH Care Hub Boundaries Ahead of Hub Anchor Application
- 5/15/2026 Press Release: Missouri Department of Social Services Invites Rural Organizations to Apply as ToRCH Care Hub Anchors
- 12/29/2025: MHA applauds Missouri’s $216 million RHTP award
- 12/29/2025 Press Release: Governor Kehoe Secures More Than $216 Million to Strengthen Rural Healthcare in Missouri
- Governor Kehoe's RHTP Endorsement
- Applicant / Partner Resources
- Federal Application Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- ToRCH Care FAQ
View the ToRCH Care FAQ
- Roadshow FAQ
View the Roadshow FAQ
Program Status and Timeline
- 2026 Timeline
Event Date / Deadline Additional Resources Partnership to Expand Rural Maternal Healthcare Announced 07/20/2026 Hub Anchor Organizations Announced 7/17/2026 Digital Backbone Roadshows 07/13-14/2026 Inside Missouri’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Newsletter 07/06/2026 Announce Investment in Home Visiting Services 07/02/2026 ToRCH Care Hub Onboarding & Operations Procedures Manual Published 06/30/2026 Alternative Payment Models (APM) Survey closed 6/26/2026 Digital Readiness Survey Assessment Report Released 06/24/2026 Open Applications for Medical Clerkships 06/18/2026 Hub Anchor Application Due 6/18/2026 Hannibal Virtual Roadshow 6/4/2026 Sedalia Virtual Roadshow 6/3/2026 Rolla Virtual Roadshow 6/2/2026 Ambient AI Request for Information (RFI) 6/01/2026 West Plains Virtual Roadshow 5/27/2026 Branson Virtual Roadshow 5/27/2026 RHTP ToRCH Care Roadshows May-June 2026 Hub Anchor Application Webinar
April 17, 2026 ToRCH Care Hub Anchor Application Released 5/15/2026 ToRCH Care Hub Boundaries Map Released 5/15/2026 ToRCH Care Community Institutions Webinar 5/13/2026 ToRCH Care Non-Hospital Clinical Providers Webinar 5/6/2026 Inside Missouri’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Newsletter 05/04/2026 ToRCH Care Hospital Specific Webinar 4/29/2026 Invitation for Bid for Vital Rural Hospital Repairs 4/27/2026 ToRCH Care Overview Webinar 4/22/2026 Digital Readiness Survey 4/17/2026 RHTP Year One Budget Approved 4/7/2026 - 2025 Timeline
Event Date / Deadline Additional Resources MHA applauds Missouri’s RHTP award 12/29/2025 Governor Kehoe Secures More Than $216M 12/29/2025 Public Comment Invited on RHTP 8/26/2025 RHTP Application Materials 11/2025 Governor Kehoe's RHTP Endorsement 10/31/2025
The Rural Health Transformation Program information provided by the Missouri Department of Social Services is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $216,276,817.66, with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
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