Hospital Attendees | Business Partners | Conference Agenda Overview

The Georgia Department of Community Health Telehealth Expansion Subcommittee is requesting your participation in a brief survey regarding telehealth services in rural Georgia.

The purpose of this survey is to better understand which telehealth specialties are currently offered and which services are needed but unavailable. Your responses will help assess telehealth capacity, identify specialty gaps, and inform future program improvement efforts to strengthen access for Georgia Medicaid members. If you are not a hospital, where you see hospital, please just list your organization information. 

The survey takes approximately 8–10 minutes to complete and will close this Friday, April 10th. Please submit your response ASAP. 

Telehealth Specialties Used and Needed In Rural GA Market

We greatly appreciate your time and insight. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your continued partnership in improving access to care across rural Georgia.

Price Transparency 

CMS announces hospital price transparency requirement enforcement starts in April. CMS reminds hospitals that enforcement of new and updated Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) requirements finalized in the CY 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule started April 1, 2026. See the updated HPT fact sheet to learn more. 

Advance Beneficiary Notice

As of March 13: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) for 3 years. CMS improved the notice’s readability and design. The updated version is posted in English and Spanish on CMS’ BNI webpage and on the ABN webpage located in the download section.  The updated ABN is effective now and expires March 31, 2029.  Providers may continue to use the expired version of the ABN until May 12, 2026, but must transition to the approved form no later than that date.

In response, HTHU has updated and revised its Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) course to showcase the new form and provide insights on form utilization. Check out the revised course within the School of Revenue Cycle Management catalog.

Join Dr. Tyler Wallace and the HomeTown team to learn more about the upcoming 12-week AI Readiness Cohort!

The Artificial Intelligence Readiness Program Informational Session is designed to overview the AI Readiness for Rural Health 12-week Cohort program - including program overview, insights to the cohort schedule, and a time to ask your questions prior to your organization's commitment to Cohort 3 launching May 2026. The AI Readiness Cohort is designed to help rural health leaders and team expand their AI literacy, adopt best practices, evaluate governance and configurations, and meaningfully engage with AI tools safely and efficiently. 

Click here, login with your HTHU credentials (or create an account), and register now!

What Previous Cohort Participants Have to Say:

As a Director of Information Technology at Upson Regional Medical Center, completing the HomeTown Health (HTH) AI Readiness Cohort in Fall 2025 was a pivotal experience for me in navigating the intersection of healthcare and emerging technology. Over 13 weeks, this program helped me move beyond theory to provide a technical and strategic roadmap for implementing generative AI in a rural hospital setting.

A critical takeaway was the secure configuration of our Microsoft tenant. In an era of heightened cybersecurity risks for rural health, the program guided us through enabling tenant-wide policies to establish secure boundaries for using generative AI. I gained the skills to manage Microsoft Frontier settings, allowing me to pilot development-stage features safely before wider deployment.

Attending the HTH AI cohort was essential in enabling me to ensure URMC stays ahead of the curve in using Microsoft AI technologies while keeping patient data secure.  It has fundamentally changed how I approach our AI adoption at URMC.

- Erike Bowe, IT Director, Upson Regional

Don’t miss the 2026 Spring Medicaid Fair, happening Thursday, April 23, 2026.

You will have the opportunity to meet DCH staff, Gainwell Field Reps, CMO staff, and many other Medicaid vendor partners.  Additionally, there will be claims, provider, member and EDI assistance, and session breakouts with important updates. Registration information is listed below.  We look forward to seeing you on April 23, 2026!

Georgia Medicaid Spring Fair

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Columbus Convention and Trade Center
801 Front Ave. Columbus, Georgia 31901

Opening Remarks/Regulatory Updates begin at 9:00 AM

The Georgia Medicaid Spring Fair will offer important updates on emergent issues by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) leadership and host several break-out sessions covering a variety of topics.

The Opening Session will highlight news from DCH, including an overview of programs and policy updates. The day will feature break-out sessions focused on relevant topics for our provider community along with time for questions and answers. Areas of discussion will include: 

• Ask DCH
• GA Care Connect
• CMO Updates
• Inside GA Horizons: better tools, better data, and better outcomes

To register online, please Register Here for additional details. Attendees must register to reserve a seat for each individual session selected. Upon registration, please ensure to save a copy of your registration details as this form does not deliver e-mail confirmation.

Questions? Contact Gainwell Technologies at georgiamedicaidfair@gainwelltechnologies.com.

Georgia & Florida have confirmed their funding amounts and guidance is still forthcoming about next steps within the respective states. Georgia was awarded $218.8 million for the first year of the five-year program, and Florida was awarded just over $209 million.  Read the releases from the state governments here: Florida | Georgia 

Florida

The Agency for Health Care Administration is leading the Florida Rural Hospital Transformation Program (RHTP) efforts with program guidance, funding opportunities, and implementation updates.  

Updates from the past month include:

Florida formally released information on their first RHTP competitive Request for Application (RFA)

Scope includes Regional Collaboratives, Rural Hospitals, Clinics, nonprofits and cross-sector partnerships

A Q&A session was held on March 23, 2026

The official RFAs have not been released on the program webpage as of this date

Monitor the procurement webpage for more information on the RFAs being released: MyFloridaMarket Place Vendor Information Portal  

Informational Links:

February 18, 2026 Rural Health Transformation Program Informational Webinar:

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ7WjIKGygE

Slides: https://ahca.myflorida.com/content/download/27690/file/RHTP_Webinar_-_February_18_2026.pdf

AHCA Rural Health Transformation Program overview: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration – Rural Health Transformation Program

State announcements and program updates: Florida Governor’s Office – Rural Health Transformation Program News

RHTP Townhall Slides: https://ahca.myflorida.com/content/download/27690/file/RHTP%20Townhall%20Slides.pptx

Procurements, RFAs, and funding opportunities: Monitor AHCA’s postings and procurement announcements through the official program page and AHCA communications

FL RHTP Application: https://ahca.myflorida.com/content/download/27598/file/11032025_Grant%20Submission.pdf  

If you have questions, please reach out to RHTP@ahca.myflorida.com

Georgia

New! DCH has released a dedicated webpage for the GREAT Health Program (Georgia's Rural Health Transformation Program). All updates will be posted here https://greathealth.georgia.gov/ . The original DCH webpage is still active and can be accessed here: https://dch.georgia.gov/great-health-program-georgias-rural-health-transformation-program .

Updates from the past month include:

The deadline for hospital submission of the Letter of Intent to participate in the pre-implementation activities under the AHEAD Model was due to DCH by March 15, 2026.  

86 LOIs were received

Action will be taken and funds distributed on Letters of Intent as they are received

The Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce officially activated the GREAT Health-funded GME Fellowship Expansion Grant

Request to increase fellow count was due by March 15, 2026

Notifications will begin in April 2026

More information can be found here: GME Fellowship Expansion Grant - Rural Health Transformation Program | Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce

Informational links:

Value Based Care Webinar presented by Stuart Portman, Executive Director, Medical Assistance Plans Division, DCH

Webinar Recording Link: https://youtu.be/bfKBk2xSwOo (January 2026)

Slides (Updated February 2026): https://dch.georgia.gov/document/document/ahead-presentation-february-update/download

Value-Based Care Model Eligible Hospitals: https://dch.georgia.gov/document/document/great-health-vbc-hospital-list0/download

GA RHTP Year 1 Budget Spreadsheet (Approved February 26, 2026): https://dch.georgia.gov/document/document/budget-spreadsheet-y1-award-balanced0/download

DCH press release for CMS Approval for Revised Budget (February 26, 2026): https://dch.georgia.gov/announcement/2026-02-26/georgia-receives-federal-approval-2188m-great-health-program

GA RHTP Application webpage: https://greathealth.georgia.gov/about-program/georgias-application

 Application download (Updated January 2026): https://dch.georgia.gov/document/document/great-health-application-y1-award-revision/download

Timeline: https://greathealth.georgia.gov/about-program/georgias-application/attachment-e-timeline

If you have any questions while reviewing these documents, please contact greathealth@dch.ga.gov.

HomeTown Health is committed to keeping you informed and empowered as Georgia embarks on the most significant rural health transformation in decades. We will continue to monitor developments and provide updates, resources and support to help your hospital maximize the benefits of these programs, as we also continue to partner with the Department of Community Health and others for guidance on next steps for participation in this program.  Feel free to reach out to Kristy Thomson, COO with any questions.

Microsoft's Rural Health Resiliency program is now offering independent critical access, rural emergency, and rural community hospitals Dragon Copilot at a huge discount - and many free services to support its deployment. If you're an independent CAH, REH, or RCH reach out to ruralhealth@microsoft.com! If you need additional support making a connection with the Microsoft team, please let us know.

Additionally, Microsoft has released free training videos around AI within the Microsoft environment. Learn more here.

Microsoft continues to expand discounted and free programs for rural partners:

Learn More & Sign Up for the Program

Learn More & View Training Immediately

View Rural Health Resiliency Program Offerings Overview Flyer

Upcoming Webinars & Events

Monthly Medicare Update

April 8 | 10 AM EST

HTH Spring Conference | Jekyll Island

April 8-10

Free Webinar: World-Class da Vinci Surgery in your Hometown

April 17 | 10 am EST

Florida Rural Quarterly Webinar

April 22 | 11 AM EST

AI Cohort Informational Session
April 22 | 1 PM EST

Quarterly Coding & CDI Webinar

April 23 | 10 AM EST

GA Medicaid Fair

April 23 | 9 AM EST

Monthly GA Provider Reimbursement Webinar
May 6 | 10 AM EST

Login at https://lms.hthu.net to register, enroll, attend live webinar sessions or view recordings of all webinar events!

Revenue Cycle Professionals - make plans to attend the upcoming recertification webinars through HTHU for 2026! Each webinar offers 90 minutes of industry updates, best practices, compliance reminders and education around key subject areas. Recertifications are designed to be taken annually for those who have previously completed the CHHS, PAC, PAS, Billing Certification, Billing Specialist and FCC!

May 19 | 12:30 EST : Healthcare Hospitality Recertification
June 11 | 12:30 EST : Patient Access Recertification
July 16 | 12:30 EST : Billing Specialist Recertification
August 13 | 12:30 pm EST : Financial Counselor Recertification

HTHU Subscribers - Log in and find these webinars in the School of Revenue Cycle Management catalog to enroll today!

Not a subscriber? Recordings will be posted for sale after the live sessions and visible for purchase in the School of Revenue Cycle Management approximately one week after the live session concludes. 

World-Class da Vinci Surgery in your Hometown (April 2026):

World-Class da Vinci Surgery in your Hometown will highlight Colquitt Regional Medical Center's rural growth strategy leveraging da Vinci as well as the Intuitive collaboration and resources available. 

To fulfill the Medical College of Georgia’s (MCG) mission to meet the healthcare needs of Georgia’s rural and underserved communities, MCG seeks to partner with healthcare systems that serve these populations, including Rural Hospitals and Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and Community Health Centers (CHCs) across the state.

This educational affiliation model is designed to create statewide clinical teaching experiences across multiple disciplines and to enhance medical students’ exposure to interprofessional, high-quality clinical care in these settings. MCG relies on the insight and collaboration of our partners to effectively integrate medical students into these environments.

MCG currently maintains formal educational affiliation agreements with 21 FQHCs, 3 CHCs, and at least 8 Rural Hospitals—each with varying levels of teaching readiness—across Georgia. MCG seeks continued growth in these opportunities for student rotations.

If you are interested in partnering with MCG in this effort, please contact our program manager. We would welcome the opportunity to meet, explore your interest in hosting clinical rotations, and gather your input on how we can best prepare our students to serve rural and underserved communities throughout Georgia.

Ashley Saucier MD

Director, MCG FQHC/CHC/Rural Hospital Educational Affiliation

Assistant Dean for Evaluation, Accreditation, and CQI

Joseph Hobbs, MD

Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Programs

Kathryn Martin, PhD

Associate Dean for Regional Campus Coordination

Charlotte Howard

Program Manager

Choward5@augusta.edu

706-721-3886 (phone)

In 2019, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing PCOM South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, PCOM South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. PCOM is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, PCOM South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region.

For more information, contact:

Michael Parkerson
404-245-9291

www.pcom.edu

Questions? Need Assistance? 

Contact us at hthtech@hometownhealthonline.com

Reach us by phone at 470.655.6950

Learn more at hometownhealthonline.com

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