AZRHTP - Rural Health Innovative Care Pilot Program

The Rural Health Innovative Care Pilot Program is administered by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System under the broader Arizona Rural Health Transformation Program, a federally supported initiative funded through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This program represents one of several competitive grant opportunities designed to improve healthcare access and outcomes for rural and rural Tribal populations across Arizona. The broader initiative targets approximately 800000 residents living in rural areas, addressing persistent challenges such as workforce shortages, limited access to specialty care, and geographic barriers that restrict timely and effective healthcare delivery. The primary purpose of this pilot program is to expand long term access to preventive, specialty, and primary care services by supporting innovative care delivery models and alternative payment approaches. Innovation in this context includes the implementation or scaling of new or significantly enhanced service models, workforce strategies, or payment methodologies that differ from existing practices. The program emphasizes community driven solutions that can improve access, care coordination, efficiency, and overall health outcomes, particularly for populations facing systemic and geographic barriers to care. Funding under this opportunity is structured across four tiers, each aligned with project scale and organizational capacity. Awards range from smaller community based pilots to large scale, multi site initiatives with statewide impact potential. Funds may be used to establish new services or expand existing programs, but cannot be used to maintain current service levels or duplicate existing funding sources. Allowable activities include mobile and satellite healthcare delivery, community health worker programs, in home services, care coordination models, and alternative payment initiatives. Administrative costs are capped at seven percent of each award, and additional limitations apply to capital expenditures, provider payments, and technology investments. Eligibility is limited to a defined set of organizations that serve rural populations in Arizona, including rural clinics, Tribal health programs, community based organizations, EMS agencies, schools, hospitals, universities, and provider networks. Applicants must demonstrate that services will be delivered in areas meeting federal rural eligibility criteria and must show sufficient operational, financial, and reporting capacity to implement and sustain the proposed project. Tribal organizations and partnerships are strongly encouraged and may receive additional consideration during evaluation. Applications must be submitted electronically through the State of Arizona online grants system. The process requires completion of a project narrative, budget narrative, performance measurement plan, and multiple required exhibits documenting organizational capacity and compliance. Applicants must clearly articulate how their project represents a new or expanded approach and how it will produce measurable improvements in access, utilization, or outcomes. Late or incomplete submissions are not accepted, and applicants are responsible for monitoring updates and ensuring compliance with all submission requirements. Evaluation of applications is based on criteria including rural health need, organizational capacity, project design, sustainability, and budget reasonableness. Additional consideration may be given to projects aligned with statewide health priorities or those demonstrating strong Tribal partnerships. Successful applicants must comply with federal grant requirements, participate in ongoing monitoring and reporting, and demonstrate progress toward defined performance metrics throughout the project period. The application window opens on July 24 2026 and closes on August 21 2026. Questions must be submitted by August 3 2026, and a pre application conference is scheduled for July 31 2026. Awards are anticipated to be announced in September 2026, with the initial performance period running through October 30 2026 as part of a multi year funding structure contingent on continued federal approval and performance. This program is not explicitly recurring as a fixed annual cycle but is part of a broader multi year initiative with multiple funding rounds released over time.

20 to 40 hours