September 12, 2025 Louisiana Department of Health releases Request for Information for public engagement on Rural Health Transformation ProgramResponses may be submitted online through 5 p.m. on September 24, 2025

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sep 12, 2025 - Today, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) announced the launch of a stakeholder engagement initiative to inform the Department’s application to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program. Louisiana is at the forefront of solving problems and bringing solutions to rural America. With that standard in mind, the Department will utilize this program to provide transformative changes with long-lasting health benefits for rural Louisianans.

The RHT Program was established in Section 71401 of the Reconciliation Bill, enacted on July 4, 2025. Recognizing the challenges rural health systems face, Congress allocated $50 billion to support rural health transformation over five years. States must submit a single, comprehensive transformation plan to CMS by early November. CMS will approve or deny applications by December 31, 2025, and approved states will receive ongoing funding for the next five years.

Forty-four of Louisiana’s 64 parishes are designated as fully or partially rural, and approximately 29.1% of the state’s population lives in rural areas. Compared to their urban peers, rural Louisianans have higher rates of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, and report higher tobacco use. Ensuring that rural neighbors have reliable access to high-quality healthcare is a top priority.

“As a state, we have an opportunity to rethink the way we offer health in our rural communities, and I’m excited about the opportunities this program will bring to transform lives in meaningful ways for our rural residents,” said Secretary Bruce Greenstein. “Our rural task force is composed of stakeholders who truly understand rural Louisiana. We’ve thought of some innovative ideas, but we want input from around the state to ensure we’re submitting a robust application.” 

LDH is seeking feedback from hospitals, healthcare providers, academic institutions, community-based organizations, technology suppliers, and rural residents on specific strategies to address challenges in delivering rural healthcare. This request builds on the work undertaken by the Louisiana Rural Health Transformation Task Force. This task force, made up of more than 60 health professionals and stakeholders, is assigned to fundamentally rethink how rural healthcare is delivered to improve outcomes for all Louisiana citizens living in rural areas.

Responses will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24, and must be submitted via this online form.

As directed by CMS, the five strategic focus areas for the RHT Program include:

1. Make Rural America Healthy Again: Support rural health innovations and new access points to promote preventative health and address root causes of diseases.
2. Sustainable access: Help rural providers become long-term access points for care by improving efficiency and sustainability.
3. Workforce development: Attract and retain a highly skilled healthcare workforce by strengthening recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural communities.
4. Innovative care: Spark the growth of innovative care models to improve health outcomes, coordinate care, lower costs, and promote flexible care arrangements.
5. Tech innovation: Foster the use of innovative technologies that promote efficient care delivery, data security, and access to digital health tools by rural facilities, providers, and patients.

To supplement responses gathered by the Request for Information (RFI), the Department will host multiple Community Idea Raisers throughout the state to gather additional feedback from stakeholders. These meeting dates, times, and locations will be posted to the Department’s Rural Health Transformation Program webpage and published on all social media channels.

For questions regarding this RFI, email RuralHealthTransformation@la.gov.

View and submit the RFI here.