Washington

CMS approved Washington a Year 1 budget of approximately $181.3 million as its share of the federal $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. During the original application CMS suggested states budget for $200 million per year; Washington's revised budget, approved February 26, 2026, brought the Year 1 figure to about $181 million without eliminating any of the six approved activities, instead front-loading projects ready for rapid implementation. The program runs on a five-year period of performance.

The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) is the lead agency, working in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in support of the Governor's Office. The program is led by RHT Program Director Priya Helweg, a 20-year federal health-policy veteran of HHS and CMS who started April 16, 2026. Program questions go to ruralhealth@doh.wa.gov.

Washington is delivering on six CMS-approved initiatives and, per its project leaders, cannot add new activities to the plan. The thrust spans integrated behavioral health, a community health center model, rural provider technology adoption, and cybersecurity, with Year 1 focused on projects that leverage existing partnerships for rapid implementation.

Washington RHTP hub →

• Rural Health Provider Technology Fund (RFA 2026HCA12) — $11.5 million in Budget Period 1 (another $11.5M anticipated for Period 2, pending CMS), with individual awards of $200,000–$500,000 for telehealth, remote patient monitoring, wearables, and AI-enabled administrative tools.
• OTP Workforce Incentive Program (RFA 2026HCA9) and Rural Hospitals: Maternal, Emergency & Specialty Services (RFA 2026HCA14).
• Program-wide caps: administrative overhead 10%, EMR replacement 5%, provider payments 15%; no new construction, lobbying, or supplanting.

The full breakdown is in Washington's CMS-approved budget.

HCA has moved several RFAs to the street. The Provider Technology Fund (2026HCA12) opened July 15 ($11.5M, awards $200K–$500K, due Aug 13); Amendment 1 widened eligibility to name RHCs, FQHCs, hospitals, behavioral-health and dental providers, EMS, Tribes, CBOs, associations, coordinated care organizations, and school and educational service districts. The OTP Workforce Incentive Program (2026HCA9) and Rural Hospitals: Maternal, Emergency & Specialty Services (2026HCA14) (due Aug 20) are also live. A structural note: these are RFAs, not RFPs — HCA is funding providers to buy their own technology, not buying it directly. The dispatch list below carries the running record.

• 2026HCA12 (Provider Technology Fund): questions July 23, answers July 30, applications Aug 13 (2:00 p.m. PT), evaluation through Aug 31, awards from Sept 1, contracts executed by Oct 30.
• 2026HCA14 (Rural Hospitals): questions July 30, HCA responses Aug 7, applications Aug 20 (2:00 p.m. PT), evaluation Aug 20–Sept 14, award notification Sept 16.
• Next program update webinar: September 16, 2026, 1:00–1:45 p.m.

Live dates surface first in the dated dispatches below.

The Rural Health Transformation Program was created by Section 71401 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025) and is administered federally by CMS. In Washington, CMS approved the state's revised Year 1 budget on February 26, 2026, and the program is delivered jointly by HCA, DOH, and DSHS in support of the Governor's Office. Detailed allocation figures are set out in Washington's CMS-approved budget.

Eligibility runs on two tracks. Direct-to-state contracts go out as competitive solicitations where firms bid as prime contractors. But much of Washington's early money moves through RFAs that hand rural providers grant funds to buy their own technology — so if you sell telehealth, remote patient monitoring, analytics, or cybersecurity tooling, your customer is the applicant and you engage as a supplier or implementation partner. Eligibility is wide (RHCs, FQHCs, hospitals, behavioral-health and dental providers, EMS, Tribes, nonprofits, CBOs, associations, coordinated care organizations, and educational service and school districts), and an applicant need not be based in a rural community — only demonstrate benefit to rural Washingtonians.

Register on Washington's Electronic Business Solution (WEBS) to be notified of bids, and track the HCA Bids & Contracts page and the RHTP hub.