Resources & Data
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Promotional and Planning Materials
Year 2
Year 1
Rural Regional Reorientation Program - Regional Objective Plans
CMS Definitions
Healthcare Providers
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Critical Access Hospital | A rural hospital designated by CMS as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), which meets the requirements at 42 U.S.C. § 1395i-4(c)(2). |
| Rural Emergency Hospital | An entity that meets the requirements at 42 U.S.C. § 1395x(kkk)(2). |
| Other Rural Hospital | An acute care hospital located in a rural area that is not a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) or Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). |
| Rural Health Clinic | An outpatient clinic that meets the requirements at 42 U.S.C. § 1395x(aa)(2). Hospital-based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) should be categorized as an RHC. |
| Rural Community Health Center | A community-based outpatient clinic located in a designated rural area, and meets the requirements at 42 U.S.C. § 1395x(aa)(4). Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and FQHC "Look-Alikes" located in designated rural areas should be categorized as Rural Community Health Centers. |
| Rural Behavioral Health Provider | A licensed professional or facility operating in a designated rural area and specializing in mental health, behavioral health, opioid use disorder treatment services (as defined at 42 USC § 1395x(jjj)(1)), or other substance use disorder treatment services. This category includes Community Mental Health Centers (as defined at 42 USC § 1395x(ff)(3)(B)), Opioid Treatment Programs (as defined at 42 USC § 1395x(jjj)(2)), and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (as defined at 42 USC § 1396d(jj)(2)) located in a designated rural area. |
| Rural EMS Provider | An emergency medical services agency or emergency medical service vehicle agency providing services in a designated rural area. Hospital-based EMS agencies providing services in a designated rural area should be categorized as rural EMS provider. This category includes air ambulance agencies that cover rural areas. |
| Rural SNF/Long-Term Care Facility | A certified Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) (meeting requirements at 42 U.S.C. § 1395i-3(a)), nursing home, or long-term care facility located in a designated rural area. These facilities may provide post-acute, rehabilitative, and/or custodial long-term care. Note: certified long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) located in designated rural areas should be categorized as "other rural hospitals". |
| Rural Pharmacy | A licensed retail, community, or independent pharmacy operating in a designated rural area. Hospital-based pharmacies operating in a designated rural area should be categorized as a rural pharmacy. |
| Rural Independent or Group Practice | Healthcare practices located in a designated rural area that are either owned and operated as an independent clinical entity/solo practice by a single healthcare provider or those entities that are owned by two or more physicians who share facilities, staff, expenses, and income under a unified legal structure as defined at 42 CFR Part 425. |
| Rural Dental Professional or Practice | Includes licensed dental professionals and practices located in a designated rural area that provide dental services as defined at 42 CFR § 440.100. |
| Other Rural Provider | All other licensed healthcare professionals or facilities located in a designated rural area. Note: healthcare professionals or facilities operated by Tribal government should be categorized as "Tribal healthcare provider". |
| Non-Rural Healthcare Provider | All licensed healthcare professionals and facilities that are not located in a designated rural area and are not a health system. |
| Health System | An interconnected network of jointly managed or jointly owned healthcare organizations (e.g., physician practices, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities). |
State Government Agencies
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| State Health and Human Services Agency | State government agency responsible for administering a wide spectrum of health and/or social service programs, including but not limited to those related to aging, public health, and health care. |
| State Education Agency | State government agency responsible for administering, regulating, and overseeing the public education system within the State. Acts as the primary authority to ensure that State and federal education laws, standards, and funding are properly implemented. |
| State Labor Agency | State government agency responsible for enforcing employment laws, promoting workforce development, administering unemployment insurance, and protecting worker rights. |
| Other State Agency | Any other state government agency that oversees functions/programs outside of those administered by the State agencies/departments of education, labor/workforce development, and health and human services. |
Local Government Agencies
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| County/Municipal Health Department | The local municipality responsible for local health regulations and public health oversight. |
| Area Agency on Aging | A public or private nonprofit agency designated by a State to address the needs and concerns of older persons and family caregivers at the regional and local levels. See 45 CFR 1321.55(a). |
| Other Local Government | Any other local governmental agency that is not a county/municipal health department or Area Agency on Aging. |
Tribal Government
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Tribal Government | The recognized governing body overseeing an Indian Tribe, group, or community, including Alaska Native villages, possessing sovereign authority and recognized as a domestic dependent nation. |
| Tribal Healthcare Provider | A healthcare facility or service owned or operated by a federally recognized Indian tribe or Tribal organization, including Tribally-owned IHS-funded facilities, under an Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (PL 93-638) contract or compact. Tribally-owned facilities funded by Title I or III of the ISDEAA (PL 93-638) include all facilities under contract, compact, or receiving grants from the IHS. The Tribal facility is operated by a Federally recognized Tribe under a funding agreement with IHS. |
| Other Tribal Organization | Other Tribal organizations include any legally established organization of Indians under the Tribal government, or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization and which includes the maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its activities; or any Tribal nonprofit organization (34 U.S. Code § 12291(a)(43-45)). |
Education Organization
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Community College/Technical School | A community college is a public institution of higher education, which awards an associate’s degree (15 USC § 9401(4)). A technical school is an educational institution that is approved by a State agency or accredited by a State or national accrediting body to provide technical, trade or vocational training (20 CFR § 411.167). |
| University/Medical School/Post-Secondary Institution | An educational institution that provides an educational program for which a bachelor’s degree or any other higher degree is awarded, is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association, and meets other requirements as defined at 7 USC § 3103(4)(A). This category would also include a school of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, pharmacy or other health profession which provides training leading to a degree of doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, doctor of dentistry, an advanced practice nursing credential (such as APRN), a physician assistant (PA) credential, or an equivalent credential for a particular health profession, and which is accredited by a body or bodies recognized for accreditation purposes by the Secretary of Education. |
| Other Academic Institution | Any publicly or privately operated primary or secondary school, or other educational entity that is not a college/university, medical school, community college, or technical school. |
| Area Health Education Center (AHEC) | A public or nonprofit organization that operates under a cooperative agreement or contract with an entity receiving federal grant awards, as described in 42 USC § 295p(12). It promotes initiatives designed to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care, for underserved populations by improving the supply and distribution of healthcare professionals via strategic partnerships with academic programs, communities, and professional organizations. |
| Rural Graduate Medical Education (GME) | An ACGME-accredited medical residency training program in which residents/fellows train for the majority of their time in a designated rural location or rural clinic setting, with the goal of reducing physician shortages in rural areas (42 CFR 413.79(k)). |
| Other Rural Healthcare Workforce Training | Education and training initiatives that provide for local training in rural areas such as healthcare professional development training, or training for community health workers, digital health navigators, care navigators, care coordinators, doulas, etc. |
Health IT Vendors
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| EHR/EMR Vendor | An entity that develops and/or markets electronic health/medical record technology, which meets mandatory federal standards for interoperability, security and data exchange, for use in healthcare settings. |
| Telehealth Platform Vendor | An entity that provides secure, HIPAA-compliant, and reliable electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, and public health and health administration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store- and-forward imaging, streaming media, and landline and wireless communications. |
| RPM Vendor | A company or organization that develops or offers secure, HIPAA-compliant technology allowing providers to monitor patients outside of the traditional care setting using digital medical devices, such as weight scales, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, and blood glucose meters. |
| AI Vendor | A company or organization that develops or offers secure, HIPAA-compliant technology that uses artificial intelligence to support clinical care (e.g., diagnosis, treatment planning), administrative and revenue cycle management activities (e.g., coding, scheduling, and billing), and/or workflow automation (e.g., scheduling, patient intake, chart review). This category also includes FDA regulated AI diagnostic imaging and medical devices. Note EHR/EMR, telehealth, and remote patient monitoring systems that embed AI functionality directly into their systems should be classified under other categories as appropriate. |
| Other Health IT Vendors or Health IT Consultant | Entities that provide health information technology products, platforms, or services - including consulting services other than those associated with electronic health record (EHR), electronic medical record (EMR), telehealth, AI, or remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions. |
Other Consulting
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Technical Assistance Provider | Organizations that provide assistance, including the transfer of skills and knowledge, to State awardees or their subrecipients on specific topics. |
| Quality Improvement Organization | Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) are entities that include representatives of health care providers and representatives of consumers, which perform case reviews and quality improvement efforts to ensure care is appropriate, effective, and continuously improved. See 42 CFR 475.101. |
| Program Evaluation Consultant | An independent contractor or third-party advisor who provides an assessment of the effectiveness, efficiency, and/or impact of a program, policy, or initiative. |
| Grants Management Vendor | A company or organization that provides specialized software and/or consulting services to assist organizations in the execution of compliant grant administration activities throughout the award and funding lifecycle (e.g., tracking applications, procurement/ contracting, compliance and reporting). |
| Other Consulting | Any other independent professional or organization who provides valuable and pertinent advice or services generally drawn from a high degree of broad administrative, professional, or technical knowledge or experience for a fee that is not a technical assistance provider, health IT consultant, program evaluation consultant, grants management vendor or quality improvement organization. |
Other Entity Types
| Entity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Construction or Specialty Trade Contractor | A company or organization engaged either in the overall management and/or the specialized execution (e.g., pouring concrete, site preparation, plumbing, painting, and electrical work) of building construction, infrastructure development, alterations, or repairs. |
| Community-Based Organization | A public or private nonprofit organization that are representative of a community or a significant segment of a community and provides support services that include but are not limited to education, transportation assistance, case management, and nutrition assistance. See 20 USC § 7801(5). |
| Faith-Based Organization | An organization, also referred to as “religious organization”, which is a nonprofit religious organization. |
| Rural Technology Catalyst Fund Initiative | An initiative that supports the development and adoption of emerging health tech innovation focused on rural populations to improve quality, expand access, and reduce cost of care; focused on promoting consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for prevention and management of chronic diseases. |
| Other | Any other entity not otherwise described. |
Last Modified on
Oct 26, 2026
