| Read this in your browser September 4, 2025 What's New CMS Announces Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program. This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a website with details of their Rural Health Transformation Program ahead of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) expected later in September. The RHT Program funding is $50 billion to be allocated to approved States over five fiscal years, with $10 billion of funding available each fiscal year, beginning in fiscal year 2026 and ending in fiscal year 2030. In accordance with the authorizing statute, only the 50 U.S. States are eligible to receive an RHT Program award; the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories are not eligible. Application instructions to apply for RHT Program funding will be included in the NOFO and released on grants.gov by mid-September. Read the RHT Program overview to learn more. If you have questions, email CMS. September is National Recovery Month. First recognized in 1989, National Recovery Month promotes new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, supports the nation's strong and proud recovery community, and highlights the dedication of communities and service providers who make recovery possible. In honor of National Recovery Month, The White House proclaimed the week of August 31st as the 2025 Overdose Prevention Week to remember the lives lost, support grieving families, and renew the nation's solemn commitment to ending the overdose epidemic. A variety of federal resources is available to support individuals and their families: - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created the National Recovery Month Toolkit, a one-stop shop for resources and messaging for community members. SAMHSA's website also provides links to treatment, recovery, and overdose prevention support.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Stigma Reduction, a helpful guide describing stigma and how it can affect prevention and treatment services.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Preferred Language for Talking About Addiction – This resource helps readers identify stigmatizing words and provides person-first language alternatives.
To learn more about programs created by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to support recovery, visit the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) on HRSA's website. Each of the RCORP Centers of Excellence provides a clearinghouse of information and resources for prevention, treatment, and recovery that are specific to rural communities. Rural Health Research Research in this section is provided by the HRSA/FORHP-supported Rural Health Research Gateway. Sign up to receive alerts when new publications become available. Rural Beneficiary Access to Medicare Advantage-Part D Plans. In 2023, there were nearly twice as many Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans in metropolitan counties as in noncore (the most rural) counties, averaging about 29 plan choices for enrollees in metropolitan counties compared to 16 plans available to enrollees in noncore counties. This policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis updates RUPRI's analysis of MA-PDs including enhanced benefit plan availability and variations in characteristics across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas. Rural/Urban Differences in Health, Health Care Use, and Barriers to Care for Postpartum and Parenting Women, 2006-2018. Access to maternity care has been declining in rural communities, and rural residents face elevated risks of maternal morbidity and mortality. More than half of maternal deaths in the United States occur in the postpartum year. The goal of this analysis from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center was to describe rural/urban differences in health, health care utilization, and barriers to care for reproductive-age females, with specific focus on those who are parents of young children (ages 1-4) and those who are postpartum (gave birth in the last year). Supply, Distribution, and Access to Cardiologists, Neurologists, Oncologists, and Pulmonologists in the Rural and Urban U.S. This study from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center analyzes changes in the supply and distribution of specialists – cardiologists, neurologists, oncologists, and pulmonologists – that treat the conditions associated with four of the top causes of rural mortality. Policy Updates Send questions to ruralpolicy@hrsa.gov. Important Information for CAHs Billing under Method II. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a reminder that Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) can bill for facility and professional outpatient services only when physicians or practitioners reassign their billing rights to the CAH, also known as Method II billing. CAHs can prevent claim denials with reason codes 31006 and 31007 (indicating that providers don't have a reassignment on file in the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS) if they submit the reassignment application through PECOS or the paper Form CMS-855I. Starting in January 2026, CMS will deny CAH claims for professional services if a reassignment is not in PECOS. As of July 2025, QCOR reports an estimated 1,400 CAHs currently operational in the U.S. Approaching Deadlines CMS Proposes New Mandatory Alternative Payment Model, the Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) – Comment by September 12 CMS Proposes Updates to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payments – Comment by September 12 CMS Proposes Updates to Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System – Comment by September 15 CMS Proposes Changes to the Medicare Hospital Cost Report – Comment by September 15 HHS/CMS Seek Members for New Healthcare Advisory Committee – Nominate by September 22 Targeted Technical Assistance Program for Rural Hospitals – September 30 HRSA NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program – November 6 HRSA State Loan Repayment Program – January 12, 2026 Ongoing Opportunities - Updated September 2025 Bold indicates HRSA- and/or FORHP-funded opportunities. Administration for Children & Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency – Technical Assistance for Rural EMS Communications Delta Regional Authority: Community Infrastructure Fund Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program General Services Administration: Federal Surplus Property Available for Public Use HRSA Needs Rural Reviewers for Grant Applications HRSA National Health Service Corps Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Training HRSA Look-Alike Initial Designation for the Health Center Program Indian Health Service/Department of Defense: Medical Supplies and Equipment for Tribes (Project TRANSAM) Licensure Portability: The Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project National Rural Health Resource Center: Rural Hospital Stabilization Program ProviderBridge: Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth Rural Graduate Medical Education Planning and Development Small Business Administration Guaranteed Loans for Small Business Small Business Administration Rural Initiative Pilot Program Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Federal Emergency Management Agency/: Post-Disaster Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program USDA: National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program USDA: Summer Food Service Program USDA/National Rural Health Association: Rural Hospital Technical Assistance USDA Rural Development: America's Healthy Food Financing Initiative USDA Rural Development: Circuit Rider Program – Technical Assistance for Rural Water Systems USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Program USDA Rural Development: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants USDA Rural Development: Grants for Rural and Native Alaskan Villages USDA Rural Development: Intermediary Relending Program – Ongoing with deadlines every quarter USDA Rural Development: Multifamily Housing Loan Guarantees USDA Rural Development: Rural Business Investment Program USDA Rural Development: Rural Energy Savings Program USDA Rural Development: SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (for Water/Waste Projects) USDA Rural Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees U.S. Department of Transportation: Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Physical Therapy Telehealth Research Study for Older Veterans – Ongoing until October 2026 | 
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