If you and your organization are ready for an AI-Intensive experience, the 12-week Artificial Intelligence Readiness Cohort is ready for your application! Our next Cohort begins on January 14, 2026. It enables your team and organization to attend weekly coaching meetings, learning about AI, its impacts to rural health and its potential impacts at your organization, now and in the future. Learn best practices, get insights, and gain pertinent education!

Build confident, role-based AI skills.
Demystify AI with practical, role-specific training. Your teams will gain the confidence to make informed decisions and separate hype from real opportunities.

Start in Microsoft AI the right way.
Reduce administrative burden with high-impact, non-clinical automations. Apply for up to $2,000 in Azure AI credits for eligible rural hospitals, and we guide your team to provision a secure Azure AI starter environment in your tenant. (Eligibility is set by Microsoft.)

Leave with a 12-month AI action plan.
Finish with a board-ready one-page roadmap, a prioritized use-case list with simple ROI, a governance starter kit, and one small workflow win live in 60 to 90 days.

Includes 3 AI-PRH Certifications & Weekly Coaching Calls with Dr. Tyler Wallace.

If you have questions about the cohort, please contact Meghan (meghan.williams@hometownhealthonline.com) for more information or to schedule a time for an online meeting. 

Click here to register for the AI Readiness Cohort launching January 14th. 

The CHNA Workshop, to be held January 29th at the State Office of Rural Health in Cordele, will guide participants in prioritizing community health needs, creating a meaningful CHNA, understanding IRS reporting requirements, ensuring robust documentation and interactive discussion and activity with peers including sessions on: 

• Creating a Meaningful CHNA
• IRS Reporting Requirements & Documentation
• Impact for CHNA Implementation
• Best Practices: Identifying Resources & Creating Partnerships

This Program offered in partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Health State Office of Rural Health for the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program - Population Health Grant #25004G 2025-2026. 

Learn More & Register Now!

HomeTown has been conducting its annual CEO & Leadership Day at the Capitol for many years, and it has become extremely effective.  Make plans to join now, as it allows you to:

• Come to the Capitol for the “Capitol” experience!
• Meet fellow hospital CEOs with very common legislative interests and network in sharing ideas and political sameness.  It will be a healthcare filled legislative session with subjects like: Provider fee, CON, Medicaid expansion and more.
• Meet with your legislative Representatives and Senators to share your message with them of the need for budgetary and legislative support for the Provider Fee as opposed to Medicaid rate cuts, Tax Credit Bill, and Private DSH. (see links for contact info)
• Hear the senior leadership of the House, Senate, and the Executive Branch share with you their understanding of the state’s budget status and to hear your hospital needs.

We have a block of rooms reserved at the Embassy Suites, 3285 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305.  Please go to this link to make your reservation.  Or you may call the hotel at 404.261.7733.  The block expires on January 15, 2026.

Learn more & Register Now!

CMS Announces Funding Awards by State

CMS published a press release on December 29th noting the awards amount per state through the Rural Health Transformation Project. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was created to support and transform rural health care delivery in the United States. This program will provide $50 billion over five years (FFY 2026-2030) in federal funding. $10 billion of funding will be available each year to States with approved applications. Project implementation begins early 2026.

To learn more about the Rural Health Transformation Program, please visit https://www.cms.gov/priorities/rural-health-transformation-rht-program/overview . Abstracts from all 50 states can be viewed at: https://edit.cms.gov/files/document/rht-program-state-provided-abstracts.pdf

In response, 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 

Georgia’s GREAT Health Program

Georgia’s proposal, named GREAT Health (Georgia Rural Enhancement and Transformation of Health), was submitted by the Department of Community Health on November 4th, 2025. The proposal is Georgia’s comprehensive strategy to transform rural health services, infrastructure, and outcomes across 126 rural counties designated by HRSA that includes funding requests for 29 projects across five major initiatives. Updates for Georgia will be posted through the GREAT health webpage at https://dch.georgia.gov/great-health-program-georgias-rural-health-transformation-program. 

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.  

Alternate IRS Form 990

Several hospitals have asked if there is a deadline for having the Alternate IRS Form 990 completed and posted on websites.  Given the recent availability of the alternate form, this aspect has been extended to allow sufficient time for hospitals to comply that would not normally complete a Form 990. DCH has determined that hospitals should have the Alternate IRS Form 990 completed and posted on websites by January 31, 2026.

Upcoming Webinars & Events

Monthly GA Provider Reimbursement Webinar
January 7 | 10 AM EST

Monthly Medicare Update

January 14 | 10 AM EST

AI Readiness Cohort Kickoff

January 14 | 12 PM EST

Florida Rural Quarterly Webinar

January 21 | 11 PM EST

Quarterly Coding & CDI Webinar

January 21 | 11 PM EST

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

Experience a Clinical Day in the Life as this story follows one patient’s comprehensive care journey. Watch as clinicians, consumers, and administrators leverage Oracle Health’s connected ecosystem of easy-to-use innovative solutions, equipped with predictive intelligence and AI-powered workflows. You’ll see how these key themes help to gain clinical, financial, and operational efficiencies, while easing the burden of your clinicians and enhancing care delivery across your community.     

Learning Outcomes:

• Understanding patient charges: Capturing through an integrated record        
• Understanding interoperability in practice        
• Understanding a clinically-driven revenue cycle charge capture to increase clean claim rates       
• Seeing AI in practice as part of the patient experience 

Learn More & Enroll/Register

Partner Level: Gold

Service Line: Minimally Invasive Care & Robotic Assisted Surgery Programs

Intuitive is a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and a pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery. The da Vinci Surgical System, proudly manufactured at the East Coast hub in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, and shipped all over the world, is empowering surgeons to transform surgery and the future of care on a global scale.  With more than 11,000 systems installed across 70+ countries, the da Vinci Surgical System has supported approximately 20 million procedures, giving surgeons the precision and control to perform complex surgeries in specialties like urology, gynecology, generally surgery, thoracic, colorectal, and more.

At the heart of this innovation are the 90,000+ surgeons who have trained on da Vinci systems.  These skilled professionals are using advanced technology to deliver minimally invasive care that helps patients get back to what matters most.  Every 9.75 seconds a surgeon begins a da Vinci procedure - each one a testament to the expertise and dedication of care teams worldwide.

Supported by more than 43,000+ peer-reviewed articles, the da Vinci Surgical System is designed to help hospitals and surgeons achieve the quintuple aim: better outcomes, better patient care experiences, better care team experiences, lower costs, and greater access to care.

 Visit us online at www.intusurg.com. Or, reach out directly to Jamila Pope, State Government Affairs Lead, cell: (404) 735-2128, Jamila.Pope@intusurg.com

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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