PATH: Preventive Action and Transformation for Health
Nutrition, physical activity, community care hubs and behavioral health integration in primary care to prevent chronic disease.
RHTP state profile · Utah
Utah Rural Health Transformation Program
Utah received $195.7 million in Year 1 of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program, 31st of 50 states. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) runs the program, which funds seven initiatives across Utah's 25 rural counties, from rural food and physical activity projects to workforce incentives, telehealth and shared health IT.
Year 1 awards, all 50 statesUT: $195.7M
Texas $281.3MNew Jersey $147.3M
$195.7MYear 1 award, 31st of 50
7Funded initiatives
25 / 29Utah counties are rural
DHHSUtah Department of Health and Human Services
Spending data in the RHTP Year One Report covers December 29, 2025 to July 31, 2026, the latest CMS reporting window.
At a glance
Utah's program at a glance
The award is fixed for the year. Spending moves every quarter, so Utah'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$195,743,566, 31st of 50 states
Run byUtah Department of Health and Human Services
Budget Period 1December 29, 2025 to October 30, 2026
Initiatives7
Rural counties25 of 29
Spending data through July 31, 2026Utah's section of the Year One Report →Initiatives
What does Utah's RHTP fund?
Utah's RHTP funds seven initiatives across prevention, workforce, infrastructure, payment models, telehealth, shared technology and data exchange. Every funding opportunity DHHS and its partners post maps to one of these seven.
RISE: Rural Incentive and Skill Expansion
Workforce pipelines from high school to certification, rural residencies, preceptor stipends, and recruitment and retention incentives.
SHIFT: Sustaining Health Infrastructure for Transformation
Capital and equipment upgrades, rural provider networks, rural EMS and new models of care.
FAST: Financial Approaches for Sustainable Transformation
Value-based payment, revenue cycle improvement and alternative payment models that bring specialists to rural sites.
LIFT: Leveraging Innovation for Facilitated Telehealth
A statewide telehealth consortium and scalable telehealth projects, with training and technical assistance.
SUPPORT: Shared Utilities for Partnered Provider Operational Resources and Technology
Shared EHR modernization, cybersecurity and AI tools for rural providers, who keep their operational independence.
LINCS: Leveraging Interoperability Networks to Connect Services
Secure health data exchange among clinics, hospitals, public health and community groups, plus a statewide semantic data model.
Recipients by initiative are in Utah's section of the RHTP Year One Report.
Source documents
Utah'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 a Utah funding opportunity.
PDFDHHSUtah RHTP Revised Project NarrativeDHHS's revised plan of January 2026, including all seven initiatives and Utah's policy commitments.PDFDHHSUtah RHTP Application SummaryDHHS's November 2025 summary of the application.PDFCMSCMS 50-State SpotlightsCMS's short profile of each state's program, including Utah's.PDFCMSCMS State Project AbstractsEach state's own summary, side by side.
Rural county (25)Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties (4)
Eligibility
Which Utah counties are eligible for RHTP funding?
Utah's program covers 25 of the state's 29 counties: every county except Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber. The plan uses Utah law's definition of a rural county, a county of the fourth, fifth or sixth class, and the 25 counties are home to about 338,000 residents. Twelve of them also meet the federal frontier definition. Each funding opportunity states its own eligibility rules.
How to apply
How can Utah providers apply for RHTP funding?
Utah providers apply through requests for grant applications posted on the DHHS RHTP Funding Opportunities page, and through fiscal agents that run their own rounds, such as the Utah Hospital Association (UHA) and the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN). Two rounds are open, both due November 20, 2026. 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 seven.
- Watch for new rounds.Check the DHHS Funding Opportunities page and the UHA RHTP page, and email ruralht@utah.gov to join the RHTP contact list.
- Register in SAM.gov.It 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 DHHS directly.Email ruralht@utah.gov.
Federal terms
Four rules that shape every award
Federal terms follow the money down to every Utah 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 Utah's RHTP funding pay for?
Utah's RHTP funding can pay for work on existing facilities, uncovered care, technology and administration, within federal caps on each use. Applied to Utah's Year 1 award, the maximums are:
Capital and infrastructure20% of award
About $39.1M
Provider payments15% of award
About $29.4M
Administrative costs10% of award
About $19.6M
Rural Tech Catalyst Fund10% or $20M, whichever is less
About $19.6M
Replacing an existing EMR system5% of award
About $9.8M
Provider payments and capital
Provider payments cover services insurance doesn't pay for, quality bonuses and outcome-based payments tied to Utah'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
Utah's policy commitments carry deadlines
Utah committed to two policy actions in its application. One is done: 2026 laws expanded pharmacist and dental hygienist scope of practice. Utah's SNAP restriction on soft drinks was already approved before it applied and took effect January 1, 2026. CMS can reduce or recover funding if the remaining commitment slips.
Presidential Fitness Test
Pursue requiring schools to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test
HB 36 (2026) created a Gold Medal Schools pilot but does not require the testScope of practice
Review expanding scope of practice for dental hygienists and pharmacists
SB 261 (pharmacists) and HB 414 (dental hygienists) signed March 18, 2026Utah already belongs to the physician, nurse, EMS, psychology and physician assistant licensure 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 Utah's spending data
Use the numbers in Utah'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 Utah 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 Utah'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 Utah announcements
DHHS posts its Year 1 awardee summary: about $193.1 million to 113 awardees, including $38.3 million through UHA for capital, revenue cycle and specialty care grants and $26.5 million for UETN's telehealth consortium.
UHA and UETN open their SPRINT rounds for rural capital and equipment, recruitment at rural hospitals, revenue cycle and specialty care, and shared EHR, cybersecurity, AI and data exchange tools, due November 20.
DHHS tells the Legislature it has $75.2 million in agreements with state agencies and a public entity and plans $117.1 million in competitive funding opportunities.
Gov. Spencer Cox signs HB 36, creating the Gold Medal Schools Pilot Program for elementary schools in rural counties, part of the PATH initiative.
CMS awards Utah $195.7 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
- Jan 1, 2026SNAP soft drink restriction takes effect
- 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 20, 2026UHA and UETN SPRINT applications due
- Nov 30, 2026Quarterly reports due; CMS refreshes funding data
- Sep 30, 2027Deadline to spend Year 1 funds
- Dec 31, 2028Presidential Fitness Test deadline
- 2030Final year of the five-year program
Implications
What this means
For rural hospitals
UHA's open round is the largest Year 1 line, $38.3 million for capital and equipment, revenue cycle work and on-site specialty care, alongside recruitment and retention awards for Tier 1 rural hospitals. Applications close November 20, 2026.
For partners and vendors
Utah routes most funding through fiscal agents and partner agencies, including UHA, UETN, the Utah System of Higher Education, the Department of Public Safety for EMS and Comagine Health for care hubs and value-based care. Partnering with those intermediaries is one route in, and UETN's round covers EHR, cybersecurity, AI and interoperability.
For applicants and grantees
Build tracking for the metrics Utah reports to CMS before an award lands. Some recruitment incentives carry a five-year rural service commitment, and Year 1 funds must be spent by September 30, 2027.
FAQ
Utah RHTP FAQs
Who runs Utah's Rural Health Transformation Program?
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) runs Utah's Rural Health Transformation Program, using federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Gov. Spencer Cox designated DHHS as lead agency, with co-leads from its Medicaid and Population Health divisions. DHHS posts funding opportunities and answers questions at ruralht@utah.gov. The program is Utah's share of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
How much RHTP funding did Utah receive?
Utah received $195,743,566 for Year 1 of the Rural Health Transformation Program, 31st of 50 states. Every state got $100 million in baseline funding, and the rest of Utah's award was based on its rural needs, its policy commitments and the strength of its plan. Later years depend on Utah's progress.
Can Utah RHTP funding pay for construction?
No. RHTP funds can't pay for new construction, demolition or major expansions. Up to 20% of Utah's award each year, about $39.1 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 Utah 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 Utah's plan, up to 15% of the award each year, about $29.4 million in Year 1. They can't raise rates for services providers already bill.
Where can I see how Utah is spending its RHTP funding?
The RHTP Year One Report tracks how much of Utah'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. DHHS also posts its own Year 1 awardee summary, which includes awards made after July 31, such as SHIFT grants for new models of care at 11 organizations.
The Alliance
RHT Alliance members serving Utah
These RHT Alliance members serve Utah 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 Utah's money as it moves
The RHTP Year One Report tracks obligations, initiatives and recipients for all 50 states after each CMS data release.