Regional Partnerships & System Transformation
Regional hubs and networks in rural areas, including clinically integrated networks and shared services such as centralized credentialing.
RHTP state profile · Oregon
Oregon Rural Health Transformation Program
Oregon received $197.3 million in Year 1 of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program, 30th of 50 states. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) runs the program, which funds five initiatives across rural and frontier Oregon, from regional partnerships and prevention to workforce, technology and a dedicated Tribal initiative.
Year 1 awards, all 50 statesOR: $197.3M
Texas $281.3MNew Jersey $147.3M
$197.3MYear 1 award, 30th of 50
5Funded initiatives
34 / 36Oregon counties have rural areas
OHAOregon Health Authority
Spending data in the RHTP Year One Report covers December 29, 2025 to July 31, 2026, the latest CMS reporting window.
At a glance
Oregon's program at a glance
The award is fixed for the year. Spending moves every quarter, so Oregon'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.
Year 1 award$197,271,577, 30th of 50 states
Run byOregon Health Authority
Budget Period 1December 29, 2025 to October 30, 2026
Initiatives5
Counties with rural areas34 of 36
Spending data through July 31, 2026Oregon's section of the Year One Report →Initiatives
What does Oregon's RHTP fund?
Oregon's RHTP funds five initiatives: four statewide initiatives on regional partnerships, prevention, workforce and technology, plus a Tribal initiative for Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes. Competitive awards also had to serve at least one population of focus: maternal and child health, co-occurring behavioral health conditions, people aging in place, or chronic disease.
Healthy Communities & Prevention
Expands integrated primary care and social health services focused on prevention, nutrition and care coordination.
Workforce Capacity & Resilience
Builds the rural health workforce through training, professional development, recruitment and retention.
Technology & Data Modernization
Expands rural access to digital care, secure data sharing and coordination tools.
Tribal Initiative
Direct funding for Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes for projects that fit each Tribe's priorities, about $21.7 million in Year 1.
Recipients by initiative are in Oregon's section of the RHTP Year One Report.
Source documents
Oregon's full plan is public
The approved plan has more detail than any summary: goals, partners, metrics and timelines for each initiative. Read it before responding to an Oregon funding opportunity.
PDFOHAOregon RHT Program Project Narrative (revised)OHA's revised plan from December 12, 2025, including all five initiatives and Oregon's policy commitments.PDFOHAOregon RHT Project Summary and NarrativeThe original application OHA submitted to CMS in November 2025.PDFCMSCMS 50-State SpotlightsCMS's short profile of each state's program, including Oregon's.PDFCMSCMS State Project AbstractsEach state's own summary, side by side.
County with rural areas (34)Other counties (2)
Eligibility
Which Oregon counties are eligible for RHTP funding?
Oregon's plan says 34 of the state's 36 counties have rural areas or are entirely rural, and 10 of them are frontier counties. Oregon defines rural as any area ten or more miles from the center of a population center of 40,000 people or more, and frontier as any county with six or fewer people per square mile. Eligibility follows that definition rather than county lines, and spending in urban areas is allowed only when it clearly benefits rural patients.
How to apply
How can Oregon providers apply for RHTP funding?
Oregon providers apply through OHA funding pathways: competitive Catalyst Awards posted as grant solicitations on OregonBuys, the state's procurement site, plus direct awards OHA makes without an application. The 2026 Catalyst round closed May 26, 2026, and OHA has not announced dates for the next competitive round. Providers and vendors don't apply to CMS directly.
- Match the work to an initiative.Funding only goes to work that fits one of the five, and competitive awards must serve at least one population of focus.
- Join the OHA RHTP newsletter.OHA announces new rounds, webinars and awards through its RHTP email list and program page.
- Register on OregonBuys and in SAM.gov.Catalyst solicitations post on OregonBuys. SAM.gov registration is standard for federally funded grants and contracts.
- Plan for federal rules.Grant recipients follow federal grant, reporting and audit rules. A Single Audit applies at $1 million or more in federal spending a year.
- Ask OHA directly.Email RHTP@oha.oregon.gov.
Federal terms
Four rules that shape every award
Federal terms follow the money down to every Oregon recipient.
Grants and contracts carry different obligations
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.
New rounds follow CMS budget approval
States can't post funding opportunities until CMS approves their budget, so windows can open months into a budget period.
Workforce incentives need a rural commitment
Recruitment and retention payments require clinicians to commit to serving rural communities for at least five years.
Recipients must disclose the federal funding
Under the Stevens Amendment, websites, social posts and other public materials about a funded project must name the federal funding.
Allowable costs
What can Oregon's RHTP funding pay for?
Oregon's RHTP funding can pay for work on existing facilities, uncovered care, technology and administration, within federal caps on each use. Applied to Oregon's Year 1 award, the maximums are:
Capital and infrastructure20% of award
About $39.5M
Provider payments15% of award
About $29.6M
Administrative costs10% of award
About $19.7M
Rural Tech Catalyst Fund10% or $20M, whichever is less
About $19.7M
Replacing an existing EMR system5% of award
About $9.9M
Provider payments and capital
Provider payments cover services insurance doesn't pay for, quality bonuses and outcome-based payments tied to Oregon'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.
Off limits
- New construction, demolition and major expansions
- Cosmetic work such as painting, carpet or decor
- Clinician salaries at facilities that use non-compete clauses
- Home broadband installation and service
- Costs already covered by other federal or state funding
Policy commitments
Oregon's policy commitments carry deadlines
Oregon committed to three policy actions in its application. None is done yet. CMS can reduce or recover funding if they slip.
EMS licensure compact
Pass a law to join the EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact
Plan called for legislative engagement to begin by September 30, 2026Pharmacist scope of practice
Expand pharmacists' scope of practice by law
Plan called for legislative engagement to begin by September 30, 2026Nutrition education for physicians
Require nutrition continuing medical education by law or regulation
Oregon already belongs to the physical therapy licensure compact. It is not a member of the medical, nurse, psychology or EMS compacts.
Years 2 to 5
$40B
Future awards depend on progress
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.
Unobligated money leaves the state
Funds not obligated by the end of a budget period can't be obligated later and are redistributed to other states.
Funds can be clawed back
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.
Oversight is growing
CMS's Office of Rural Health Transformation plans site visits in all 50 states in 2026. Audits start in 2027.
Method
Reading Oregon's spending data
Use the numbers in Oregon's section of the RHTP Year One Report to understand direction and pace, not as an audit.
Put to work is not paid out
Obligated money is signed to a contract or grant. Cash reaches recipients later.
Through July 31, 2026 only
The data covers December 29, 2025 to July 31, 2026, as Oregon reported it to CMS. Commitments made after July 31, 2026 are not counted yet.
Recipients sit inside line items
The CMS report has no recipient column. Search Oregon's line item descriptions by name.
Quarterly refresh
CMS updates the data after each quarterly state report, starting with the November 30, 2026 filing.
Announcements
Major Oregon announcements
OHA reports early results from Just in Case Oregon, an RHTP-funded naloxone program that reached 31 counties, including 7 frontier counties, in its first month.
OHA announces about $7.3 million for 34 rural Federally Qualified Health Centers, with the Oregon Primary Care Association managing the grants.
OHA announces about $2 million for about 12 rural community mental health programs to expand clinical supervision and psychiatric nurse practitioner training.
OHA announces about $97.1 million for 136 projects: $80.1 million in Catalyst Awards to 85 organizations and $17 million in Immediate Impact Awards.
OHA names the first 12 Immediate Impact Award projects, up to $6.5 million, and opens the Catalyst Awards solicitation.
CMS awards Oregon $197.3 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.
Timeline
Key dates
- Dec 29, 2025Year 1 award; Budget Period 1 begins
- Apr 10, 2026Catalyst Awards solicitation opens
- May 26, 2026Catalyst Awards applications close
- Jul 7, 2026Catalyst and Immediate Impact Awards announced
- Jul 31, 2026End of the first CMS reporting window; Year One Report spending data runs through this date
- Oct 30, 2026Budget Period 1 ends
- Nov 30, 2026Quarterly reports due; CMS refreshes funding data
- Sep 30, 2027Deadline to spend Year 1 funds
- Dec 31, 2027EMS compact and pharmacist scope deadlines
- Dec 31, 2028Nutrition education deadline
- 2030Final year of the five-year program
Implications
What this means
For rural hospitals
Oregon set aside about $45 million in Year 1 for non-competitive Transformation Funds to eligible rural hospitals and clinics, around $965,000 for each eligible hospital in Oregon's 2nd Congressional District. Watch for Budget Period 2 payments, which OHA plans to start by the end of November 2026, and for regional convenings run through the Oregon Office of Rural Health.
For partners and vendors
Oregon spreads awards across many organizations: 85 Catalyst awardees, dozens of direct awards and intermediaries such as the Oregon Primary Care Association. OHA keeps a vendor interest database, but listing in it is not an endorsement. Prevention, behavioral health, workforce and mobile care are the most active lanes.
For applicants and grantees
Build tracking for the measures Oregon reports to CMS before an award lands. Subrecipients can't opt out of reporting, and their results feed Oregon's annual rescoring. Year 2 funding depends on CMS and is not guaranteed, even for projects already selected for a second year.
FAQ
Oregon RHTP FAQs
Who runs Oregon's Rural Health Transformation Program?
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) runs Oregon's Rural Health Transformation Program through its Health Policy & Analytics division, using federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). OHA manages the state's plan, posts funding opportunities and answers questions at RHTP@oha.oregon.gov. The program is Oregon's share of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
How much RHTP funding did Oregon receive?
Oregon received $197,271,577 for Year 1 of the Rural Health Transformation Program, 30th of 50 states. Every state got $100 million in baseline funding, and the rest of Oregon's award was based on its rural needs, its policy commitments and the strength of its plan. Later years depend on Oregon's progress.
Can Oregon RHTP funding pay for construction?
No. RHTP funds can't pay for new construction, demolition or major expansions. Up to 20% of Oregon's award each year, about $39.5 million in Year 1, can go to work on existing facilities, such as renovations, accessibility upgrades, HVAC replacement and like-for-like equipment replacement.
Can Oregon providers use RHTP funding to pay for patient care?
Only for care that insurance doesn't already pay for. Provider payments can cover nonreimbursed services, quality bonuses and outcome-based payments tied to Oregon's plan, up to 15% of the award each year, about $29.6 million in Year 1. They can't raise rates for services providers already bill.
Where can I see how Oregon is spending its RHTP funding?
The RHTP Year One Report tracks how much of Oregon'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. OHA also posts its own list of RHTP awards, which includes awards announced after July 31, such as funding for rural FQHCs in October 2026.
The Alliance
RHT Alliance members serving Oregon
These RHT Alliance members serve Oregon 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.Follow Oregon's money as it moves
The RHTP Year One Report tracks obligations, initiatives and recipients for all 50 states after each CMS data release.