January 23, 2026

The President’s Message is published in the MHA Weekly News Report, a member-only publication of the Montana Hospital Association. To subscribe, click here.

I traveled to Bozeman Thursday for the Montana Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Stakeholder Advisory Committee kick-off meeting.

This public meeting was the first opportunity for Montanans to hear the State’s plan for the RHTP since the State received its funding award notice last month—the fourth-highest of all states nationwide.

Convened by the Montana Office of Rural Health on behalf of MT DPHHS, this meeting provided an important overview of how Montana will govern, implement, and report on one of the largest federal rural health investments our state has received.

DPHHS reviewed expectations for the procurement process, which must comply with both Montana state requirements and CMS guidelines. RHTP procurement opportunities are expected to begin posting in March 2026. MHA will closely monitor procurement channels for funding opportunities for the membership. Most RHTP funds will be awarded through a competitive bidding process via bids.mt.gov. Grants or other direct funding opportunities for communities and providers will post at ruralhealth.mt.gov. This includes grants that may become available through agencies like the MT Dept of Labor and Industry, among others.

Reporting requirements were also emphasized. Montana will be required to submit quarterly and annual reports to CMS, with the first annual report due in July 2026. Future funding will be closely tied to the quality, speed, and effectiveness of year-one implementation, making early execution especially important.

Montana’s Rural Health Transformation Plan metrics are detailed on pages 48-55 of the plan the State submitted to and was approved by CMS, and are summarized in this Dec. 2025 DPHHS presentation (slides 30-31). Given the short timeframe for the State to prepare its plan, the program metrics were authored without the ability for public comment. Please review these metrics and advise on any areas of feedback or concern. MHA will be sharing membership feedback with state officials, where there may be opportunities to revise the metrics. Please email your feedback to Foundation Executive Director Shani Rich at shani.rich@mtha.org.

Breakout discussions focused on initiative-level implementation and long-term sustainability. Next steps include incorporating stakeholder feedback into ongoing planning, sharing meeting materials, and maintaining regular communication through committee meetings and stakeholder networks.

MHA will continue to participate actively in this process and advocate for approaches that are workable for hospitals and rural providers. We will keep members informed as details become clearer and as opportunities for engagement arise.