Missouri’s Rural Health Transformation Team Seeks Feedback On Hub Design

Missouri’s Rural Health Transformation Team released a survey to help design the Rural Health Transformation Program’s multicounty Hub structure. This effort reflects Missouri’s commitment to partner closely with local providers as the state builds the future of rural health care.

The Missouri Department of Social Services, through MO HealthNet, is requesting input from hospitals and other rural health partners to inform the Transformation of Rural Community Health Care (ToRCH Care) program. Regional Hubs, which will comprise of about three to five counties each, will coordinate clinical and nonclinical services among hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, EMS and community-based organizations.

To ensure these Hubs align with how communities naturally collaborate across county lines, DSS is gathering perspectives through the short survey. Responses are due by Thursday, March 12.

Hospital leaders are encouraged to share the survey with staff across clinical locations in the identified rural counties. Your insight is essential to shaping Missouri’s rural health future. 

About the Rural Health Transformation Program

The Rural Health Transformation Program, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), is a landmark federal initiative to strengthen rural Americans' health care access and outcomes through sustainability and innovation. Beginning in 2026, the program provides $50 billion over five years, divided equally between state-distributed funds and competitive grants to states awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Missouri's state-led initiative, known as Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH Care) and coordinated by the MO HealthNet Division within the Missouri Department of Social Services, received a $216 million award from CMS for the first year of the program. ToRCH Care is expected to build local partnerships, expand care coordination and build capacity through a “community hub” model. Rural hospitals, clinics and provider networks are expected to be the primary recipients of these funds. These investments are especially critical as hospitals face future reductions in Medicaid state-directed payments and provider tax matching rates, which disproportionately impact rural hospitals.