Senator Marshall Applauds Nearly $17 Million in New CMS Funding for Rural Kansas

Washington - U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), applauded today's announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of nearly $17 million in new federal funding to strengthen rural healthcare across Kansas through the Rural Health Transformation Program.

As part of today's announcement, $16 million will be allocated to Emerging Technology Grants to help 14 rural providers adopt technologies like diagnostic tools and remote patient monitoring. An additional $780,000 will support the Interfacility Transport Project to improve regional transportation coordination, helping rural patients safely reach specialty and behavioral healthcare faster. These investments build on the more than $80 million in RHTP funding previously announced to strengthen rural healthcare across Kansas, including support for prevention and chronic disease management, healthcare workforce recruitment and development, technology and infrastructure upgrades, and nutrition-focused initiatives.

"Technology is playing a bigger and bigger role in the future of rural health care," said Senator Marshall."Telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and new diagnostic tools can help our rural doctors and nurses deliver more care close to home, while better transportation helps patients who still have to travel hours to see a specialist. I'm thrilled CMS is working with Kansas to make sure these Rural Health Transformation dollars are making a real difference in our rural communities."

The investment was made possible through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act - passed by Republicans in Congress and unanimously opposed by Democrats - delivering a historic $50 billion investment to help states transform the way healthcare is delivered in America.

Today's announcement is one part of the larger overall funding amount awarded to Kansas for fiscal year 2026.

Projects supported by this funding include:

• Advancing technology-enabled healthcare: Expanding telehealth, remote patient monitoring, data analytics, and emerging technologies, including new awards supporting diagnostic, surgical, AI-enabled, and assistive technologies across rural Kansas.
• Strengthening prevention and chronic disease management: Supporting earlier screening and community-based prevention to improve health outcomes and reduce preventable hospitalizations.
• Building a sustainable rural healthcare workforce: Investing in recruitment, training, career pathways, and retention strategies to strengthen the pipeline of healthcare professionals serving rural communities.
• Improving access to rural healthcare: Strengthening local providers, regional partnerships, and innovative care models, including new interfacility transportation projects to help patients reach needed care more quickly.

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Contact: Payton Fuller