The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine rural care delivery. With $50 billion available, states are competing for federal dollars to fund initiatives that expand access, improve outcomes, and build sustainable rural health systems. At Lumeris, we believe Primary Care as a Service (PCaaS) is custom-built for this moment.
Why? Because PCaaS aligns directly with RHT’s goals and scoring criteria:
- Access: A utility-style model that guarantees every rural resident continuous, always-on, technology-enabled access to primary care.
- Workforce: Reduces administrative burden by 20–25%, enabling clinicians to practice at the top of their license while extending their reach with AI-enabled support.
- Innovation: Deploys agentic AI and advanced data operations to proactively identify needs, close gaps, and deliver measurable outcomes at scale.
- Outcomes: Targets reductions in avoidable ED visits, improvements in chronic disease management, stronger behavioral health integration, and lower costs across Medicaid and Medicare.
- Sustainability: Builds durable infrastructure that outlasts grant funding by embedding into value-based payment models and state Medicaid programs, ensuring long-term community impact.
This isn’t just technology for technology’s sake. It’s about consumer-facing innovation that meets people where they are — whether in a rural county without a local OB service, a farming town with high rates of diabetes and COPD, or a northern community with limited broadband.
As Dr. Mehmet Oz recently emphasized, the future of healthcare transformation lies in technology that is transformational, usable, and scalable, tied to outcomes and payment reform. And as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated, AI, digital health, and telehealth are essential to expanding access and modernizing care. PCaaS embodies both of these perspectives.
Most importantly, PCaaS is not a short-term pilot. It is sustainable infrastructure that states can embed into their Medicaid programs, health systems, and communities to outlast the RHT funding window. It is a scalable, equitable model that can anchor rural health for decades to come.
This is why we are so energized to work with states and health systems. With PCaaS, states can submit competitive RHT applications, secure federal dollars, and build a lasting foundation for healthier rural communities.
The opportunity is here. The model is ready. PCaaS is the answer for RHT.
