Louisiana received $208.4 million in Year 1 of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program, 17th of 50 states. The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) runs the program through its Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability, funding five initiatives across the 44 of Louisiana's 64 parishes that are fully or partly rural, from clinician recruitment and health technology to food is medicine and rural facility upgrades.
Spending data in the RHTP Year One Report covers December 29, 2025 to July 31, 2026, the latest CMS reporting window.
The award is fixed for the year. Spending moves every quarter, so Louisiana's section of the RHTP Year One Report tracks how much was put to work, and with whom, through July 31, 2026. It updates after each CMS data release.
Louisiana's RHTP funds five initiatives across workforce, health technology, value-based care, nutrition and care integration, and rural facility upgrades. Health technology has the largest Year 1 allocation, about $58.0 million, and every LDH funding opportunity maps to one of the five.
Rural Clinician Credit Bank recruitment and retention bonuses, Rural HERO training grants, a proposed state income tax credit, Grow Your Own career pathways, shared provider models and community paramedicine.
A state-managed EHR option and EHR vouchers for rural providers, the Rural Tech Catalyst Fund for health tech companies, remote monitoring devices and digital literacy training.
Risk-sharing value-based payment arrangements, including a rural Medicaid alternative payment model, plus pilots of care models that are not traditionally billable.
Food is Medicine programs, community nutrition and fitness, regional care conveners and navigation networks, telehealth infrastructure, behavioral health partnerships and alternative PACE sites.
Competitive grants for one-time projects that renovate or modernize existing rural health facilities, with $39.9 million in Year 1.
Recipients by initiative are in Louisiana's section of the RHTP Year One Report.
The approved plan has more detail than any summary: goals, partners, metrics and timelines for each initiative. Read it before responding to a Louisiana funding opportunity.
Louisiana counts 44 of its 64 parishes as fully or partly rural, home to about 1.1 million residents, but eligibility is decided by location and organization rather than by whole parish. An applicant qualifies if it is in an HRSA-designated rural area, including rural census tracts inside metro parishes, is a CMS-designated rural hospital such as a Critical Access Hospital, or draws more than half of its patients from rural ZIP codes. RHTLA, the program's public data platform, checks whether a location is rural.
Check a location on RHTLA →Louisiana providers apply through Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) from LDH, posted on its RHTP Funding Opportunities page and submitted through the online application form linked in each NOFO. Year 1 award notices were completed by October 30, 2026, and LDH expects Year 2 NOFOs from January to March 2027. Providers and vendors don't apply to CMS directly.
Federal terms follow the money down to every Louisiana recipient.
A subaward makes your organization a subrecipient that carries out part of the program, with federal reporting and audit requirements. A contract pays for goods or services, with lighter requirements.
States can't post funding opportunities until CMS approves their budget, so windows can open months into a budget period.
Recruitment and retention payments require clinicians to commit to serving rural communities for at least five years.
Under the Stevens Amendment, websites, social posts and other public materials about a funded project must name the federal funding.
Louisiana's RHTP funding can pay for work on existing facilities, uncovered care, technology and administration, within federal caps on each use. Applied to Louisiana's Year 1 award, the maximums are:
Provider payments cover services insurance doesn't pay for, quality bonuses and outcome-based payments tied to Louisiana's plan. They can't raise rates for services providers already bill.
Capital funds go to existing facilities: renovations, accessibility upgrades, HVAC and like-for-like equipment replacement.
Louisiana committed to two policy actions in its application. Both are done. Its SNAP restriction on soft drinks, energy drinks and candy was already approved by USDA before it applied and took effect February 18, 2026. CMS can reduce or recover funding if promised policy actions are reversed.
Re-establish the Presidential Fitness Test in Louisiana schools
Executive Order JML 25-129 signed November 4, 2025Require nutrition continuing education for physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses
SB 14 of 2025 (Act 463) requires one hour every four yearsLouisiana already belongs to the physician, nurse and EMS licensure compacts.
Year 1 is not a guaranteed annual amount. CMS plans up to $40 billion more nationwide through 2030 and rescores every state each year on progress, data and policy actions.
Funds not obligated by the end of a budget period can't be obligated later and are redistributed to other states.
CMS can withhold, reduce or recover money for unallowable costs, unapproved plan changes or missed policy commitments. States get 90 days to fix a violation, and most decisions can't be appealed.
CMS's Office of Rural Health Transformation plans site visits in all 50 states in 2026. Audits start in 2027.
Use the numbers in Louisiana's section of the RHTP Year One Report to understand direction and pace, not as an audit.
Obligated money is signed to a contract or grant. Cash reaches recipients later.
The data covers December 29, 2025 to July 31, 2026, as Louisiana reported it to CMS. Commitments made after July 31, 2026 are not counted yet.
The CMS report has no recipient column. Search Louisiana's line item descriptions by name.
CMS updates the data after each quarterly state report, starting with the November 30, 2026 filing.
CMS announces $37.7 million for Louisiana's rural health workforce, including up to $20 million to link public colleges with rural providers and $12.7 million for 53 rural providers through the Rural Clinician Credit Bank.
LDH awards UL Lafayette about $2.1 million for rural nursing workforce programs and an AI-based platform that maps unmet rural health needs.
LDH's Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability reports more than 500 Year 1 applications under review.
LDH opens Year 1 NOFOs, including $39.9 million for rural facility capital improvements and $5 million for telehealth infrastructure.
Governor Landry, LDH and Louisiana Economic Development launch the Rural Tech Catalyst Fund, with milestone-based awards of up to $3 million per company.
Governor Landry creates the Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability within LDH and the RHTP Advisory Council.
CMS awards Louisiana $208.4 million for Year 1.
Awards announced after July 31, 2026 are not in the CMS spending data yet. They will appear after the next CMS refresh.
The Capital Improvement Program offers $39.9 million in Year 1 for upgrades to existing facilities, with awards of up to $10 million. Hospitals drew about half of the first Rural Clinician Credit Bank dollars. Watch for the Year 2 EHR voucher NOFO, which will help rural providers move to a certified EHR, including a Louisiana-hosted option.
Health technology has Louisiana's largest Year 1 allocation. Health tech companies can apply to the Rural Tech Catalyst Fund through Louisiana Economic Development, where Cohort 2 is expected to open soon. LDH has also routed funding through public universities and colleges, so partnering with them is another route in.
Build tracking for the measures Louisiana reports to CMS before an award lands. Subrecipients can't opt out of reporting, and their results feed Louisiana's annual rescoring. Year 1 funds must be spent by September 30, 2027, and applicants denied in Year 1 may reapply.
The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) runs Louisiana's Rural Health Transformation Program through its Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability, using federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). LDH manages the state's plan, posts funding opportunities and answers questions at RuralHealthTransformation@la.gov. An advisory council created by Governor Landry guides implementation. The program is Louisiana's share of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
Louisiana received $208,374,447 for Year 1 of the Rural Health Transformation Program, 17th of 50 states. Every state got $100 million in baseline funding, and the rest of Louisiana's award was based on its rural needs, its policy commitments and the strength of its plan. Later years depend on Louisiana's progress.
No. RHTP funds can't pay for new construction, demolition or major expansions. Up to 20% of Louisiana's award each year, about $41.7 million in Year 1, can go to work on existing facilities, such as renovations, accessibility upgrades, HVAC replacement and like-for-like equipment replacement.
Only for care that insurance doesn't already pay for. Provider payments can cover nonreimbursed services, quality bonuses and outcome-based payments tied to Louisiana's plan, up to 15% of the award each year, about $31.3 million in Year 1. They can't raise rates for services providers already bill.
The RHTP Year One Report tracks how much of Louisiana's award was put to work through July 31, 2026, by initiative and recipient, using state-reported data from CMS, and is updated after each CMS data release. Awards announced after July 31, such as the $37.7 million in workforce funding CMS announced in October 2026, will appear after the next CMS refresh.
These RHT Alliance members serve Louisiana providers, with support that spans EHR and billing, virtual nursing, virtual care, remote monitoring, health data, diagnostics, patient education and grant writing.
Azalea HealthCloud EHR and billing with AI-assisted charting for rural hospitals and clinics.
CorstrataTelehealth access to board-certified wound, ostomy and continence nurses.
Equum MedicalTelehealth-enabled physician coverage across specialties.
Health Recovery SolutionsRemote patient monitoring and care management at home.
InterSystemsHealth data platforms and interoperability.
Medical Equipment SourceDigital pathology, mobile labs and lab equipment services.
Rural Health Transformation Funding NetworkGrant writing support for RHTP funding opportunities.
Self Care DecisionsEvidence-based triage that directs patients to the right level of care.
Solid StartsInfant feeding guidance and education for families, built by pediatric feeding specialists.
Teledentistry.com24/7 virtual dental evaluations and emergency triage.
VitalChatVirtual nursing and continuous audio and video care across hospitals.
WebMD IgniteMedically reviewed patient education and outreach, including its HEART rural program.The RHTP Year One Report tracks obligations, initiatives and recipients for all 50 states after each CMS data release.