CMS is investing $3.15 million to strengthen pharmacy connectivity and care coordination across Ohio’s 73 rural counties through the Rural Health Transformation Program.
The funding will connect independent and retail pharmacies, federally qualified health centers and outpatient hospital pharmacies to improve rural providers’ access to prescription drug information, according to an Aug. 26 news release. The investment is also intended to expand integration of the state’s prescription drug monitoring program with EHRs and pharmacy dispensing systems.
Of the funding, $2 million will improve pharmacists’ access to patient medical records, medication management and care coordination. Another $1.15 million will support needs assessments, outreach and onboarding assistance to expand rural providers’ integration with the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System.
Ohio’s pharmacy investment is a relatively small, targeted award within a program that CMS distributed unevenly across states, with first-year awards averaging about $200 million and ranging from roughly $147 million to $281 million. The program has also drawn scrutiny from rural hospital leaders who worry funds could be absorbed into state-run initiatives rather than reaching hospitals directly, as states are not legally required to direct the funding to rural providers. The AHA has separately pressed CMS to lift caps on the funds and create dedicated Medicare cost report lines so hospitals can track Rural Health Transformation Program funding separately from other revenue.
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