Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP podcast. In this episode we take a deep dive into the Community Health Worker (CHW) Expansion in Hospitals Initiative — a five-year, $10.8 million Rural Health Transformation Program investment designed to hire, train, and deploy 30 hospital-based CHWs across rural Oklahoma.

You hosts conferred with RHTP Task Force experts and policy strategists to unpack why this program is far more than a staffing grant: it is a proof-of-concept designed to generate auditable, payer-ready ROI that will enable long-term Medicaid and commercial reimbursement. We walk through the lead agency role of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), the uncompensated care fund reimbursement model ($69,000 per CHW per year), and the FY2026–FY2030 timeline and stage-based milestones.

Topics covered include the operational design (hospital and ED embedding, recruitment of local CHWs, rigorous training, and mandatory caseloads), the four core program components (recruiting and training, hiring and deployment, defined hospital settings, and monitoring/reporting), and the mandated service focus areas: behavioral health referrals, housing and social determinant screening, and nutrition/food security connections.

The episode explains the critical data and infrastructure dependencies — the Community Care Referral Platform, the consumer-facing monitoring tools, and the Building Health Data Utility (HIE) — and how CHWs act as the human agents who convert data alerts into real-world interventions. We highlight cross-pillar linkages with Clinical Integration Networks, community paramedicine, and chronic disease management programs that are essential for closing referral loops and validating outcomes.

Key performance targets and accountability requirements are discussed in detail: a 10% reduction in readmissions among multi-visit patients by years three to five, a phased utilization requirement (50% in years 1–2 rising to 100% in years 3–5), and mandatory, high-quality outcome tracking to support a State Plan Amendment (SPA) for Medicaid coverage. The episode draws on comparable evidence from Arkansas (significant Medicaid savings via HCBS diversion) and Texas (ED-based CHW reductions in ED visits) to model the expected ROI.

We also examine the major execution risks — hospital partner readiness and administrative capacity, CHW quality and training, reliable data collection and HIE interoperability, and proactive payer engagement — and the two immediate FY2026 priorities: OHCA’s rigorous selection of priority hospitals and activation of the uncompensated care fund to enable on-time recruitment and deployment.

Listeners will gain actionable insight into what hospital leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders must do to translate $10.8 million into sustainable system change: treat the CHW not as a temporary hire but as the central node of an upstream prevention model, build the data pipeline to demonstrate auditable savings, and engage payers early to secure permanent reimbursement. This episode frames the CHW expansion as a potential turning point for rural Oklahoma’s financial and clinical stability — if execution matches the ambition.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

Welcome to the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 RHTP podcast. In this episode Dr. Booth and guests from the Oklahoma RISE 25 and the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) take a deep dive into the Consumer‑Facing Technology for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management and Behavioral Health Initiative — a nearly $16 million, five‑year effort to meet rural Oklahomans where they already are: on their phones.

We explain the initiative’s strategic placement within the RHTP “moving upstream” pillar, and how the program’s core mission—the billable service sustainability model—requires rigorous, independently validated ROI within five years so successful pilots can be transitioned to permanent payer coverage. The episode covers the budget ($15,950,000 across FY2026–FY2030), OSDH’s administrative role, and the disciplined, phased timeline that leads to payer engagement in FY2030 and possible regulatory pathways in FY2031.

Listeners will learn how the technology works in practice: app‑based conversational AI assistants that deliver personalized coaching, micro‑interventions, automated reminders, gamification, and tangible incentives; tightly filtered clinical alerts that trigger community health workers (CHWs) or providers; and integration with chronic disease management curricula, the statewide community care referral platform for SDOH, and the health information exchange (HIE) for population analytics.

The episode focuses on three priority populations—maternal health (prenatal/postnatal care and postpartum depression screening), behavioral health (CBT‑informed digital coaching, PHQ‑9 screening and crisis triage), and aging dual‑eligible patients with complex chronic needs—and explains why these groups offer both urgent need and high potential ROI. We discuss concrete performance targets (notably a 25% DAU/MAU stickiness goal and alert thresholds of ~5–10% readings triggering risk alerts with only 1–3% requiring immediate human action) and the technical, cultural, and workforce measures planned to reach them.

The episode also outlines governance and execution: the essential advisory council with rural residents and lived‑experience representation, OSDH’s requirement for a dedicated project manager (1.0 FTE) to run procurement and evaluation, and the front‑loaded investment in technical assistance and RFP development to avoid premature, ineffective buys. You’ll hear about the independent evaluation requirement that will quantify cost avoidance (hospitalizations, ER visits, complications) and the sequencing risk if pilots are rushed or adoption is low.

We finish by laying out the five critical success factors: authentic community engagement, achieving the 25% stickiness target, successful provider/CHW integration and workflow redesign, independent ROI demonstration, and effective payer engagement to secure sustainable coverage. The episode leaves stakeholders with clear near‑term priorities for FY2026: form the advisory council, complete needs assessments, design robust RFPs, and focus recruitment and training so the program can prove its case and avoid the five‑year cliff.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

In this episode of the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 RHTP podcast. Today we take a deep dive into the Building Health Data Utility pillar of the Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program — specifically the $29,210,000 Health Information Exchange (HIE) interoperability initiative led by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority through its OKShine office. Covering all 77 counties and deployed across FY2026–FY2030, the initiative is presented as the critical, foundational “data plumbing” required to unlock the rest of the states $1.1 billion rural health investment.

Hosts discuss the core problem — fragmented patient data and severe rural blind spots — and unpack sobering baseline metrics: 97% of rural health clinics (RHCs) are not connected to the HIE, 46% of rural hospitals lack integration, 40% of substance abuse treatment centers are unconnected, and a statewide 20% duplicate diagnostic testing rate. The episode explains how these gaps create patient-safety risks, wasted spending, and a lack of timely population-level visibility for state decision-makers.

The conversation outlines the initiatives two central marching orders: extend HIE connectivity to unconnected rural facilities, and dramatically expand data ingestion to include imaging, pharmacy, public health, and real-time mortality feeds. It details the four funded components — facility connection and onboarding subsidies, provider adoption and education (including a peer-to-peer learning portal), system upgrades and data integration (notably $2.5M for AI-driven imaging over-reads and a DICOM server), and a consumer-facing consent application to resolve Oklahomas opt-in policy for behavioral health data — and the specific facility targets: ~40 rural hospitals, 139 RHCs, 304 long-term care facilities, and 4 substance-abuse treatment centers.

Listeners are walked through procurement and cost models (tiered connection costs with most expenses contractual), the required tie-ins with parallel investments (EHR expansion at $44.88M and data & analytics expansion at $21.7M), and the sustainability gamble: a five-year grant runway followed by a provider-assumed maintenance payment model beginning Q4 FY2031. Key milestones and timeline are called out — launch of connection subsidies in Q3 FY2026, a regional ingestion pilot by Q2 FY2027, peer portal by Q4 FY2027, full statewide availability by Q1 FY2029, and the transition to provider payments in FY2031.

The episode highlights measurable targets and performance metrics — 50% RHC HIE penetration by years 4–5, at least a 15% relative reduction in duplicate testing, and 100% county-level access to imaging/public health/mortality feeds by year five — and flags the highest risks: failure to demonstrate ROI to providers before the billing transition, procurement delays for critical infrastructure (the DICOM server), challenges in deploying a trusted behavioral-health consent app, and the need for flawless coordination with the EHR expansion. It closes by connecting these technical and policy elements to the everyday impact for rural Oklahomans: fewer duplicate tests, faster transitions of care, stronger data for value-based payment and population health, and reduced administrative burden for rural clinicians.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP podcast. In this episode we take a deep dive into the EHR Expansion Initiative—the foundational $44.88 million, multi-year investment in certified electronic health records that the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (OHCA) and the Oklahoma State Health Information Network Exchange (OKSHINE) are coordinating to close the state’s rural digital divide.

Topics covered include the initiative’s goals and timeline (FY2026–FY2031), the targeted first cohort of 40 rural facilities (three hospitals, 20 FQHCs, eight community behavioral health clinics, two substance abuse centers, and seven rural health clinics), and the key requirement that all subsidized systems connect to the statewide MyHealth HIE. We explain why EHRs are the “concrete foundation” for every other RHTP pillar—HIE interoperability, data & analytics, the $65.75M technology cooperative, remote patient monitoring, and maternal health programs—and how those projects depend on connected EHR endpoints to deliver real value.

The episode details the operational design and funding structure—equipment and infrastructure (~$20,000 per site), tiered implementation support (up to ~$1.5M for hospitals, ~$160k for small clinic rollouts), negotiated state-level group licensing to reduce costs, deliverables-based contractor payments, and mandatory HIE participation to prevent new data silos. We review measurable problems this initiative addresses (e.g., up to 97% of rural health clinics disconnected from the HIE, duplicate testing rates of ~20%, and critical access hospitals operating on median margins as low as -16%) and the assumptions and risks that drive sustainability concerns.

Key execution milestones and performance targets are explained: Stage Zero assessment and vendor selection in FY26; a high-visibility target to reach 66% EHR utilization among rural providers by the end of FY2028; and full transition to provider-assumed costs by FY2031. The episode also covers workforce and change management strategies (comprehensive training, peer-to-peer learning community), governance and accountability measures (quarterly monitoring, utilization and satisfaction metrics, >55% provider satisfaction goal), and the respectful coordination approach for tribal health systems.

Listeners will hear practical takeaways for rural providers and health leaders: why early participation is advantageous, what success looks like on the ground, how connected EHRs reduce waste and improve care continuity, and why this initiative is framed as a systems transformation (not a one-time subsidy). Featuring insights from OHCA and OKSHINE initiatives, this episode explains what’s at stake—and what it will take—to make Oklahoma’s rural health transformation work.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 RHTP podcast. In this Deep Dive episode, hosts and policy experts from the Oklahoma RISE 25 and 25 RHTP Task Force unpack the practice enablement support profile that sits at the heart of Oklahoma’s Rural Health Transformation Program: a $32,050,000, five-year investment to shift rural primary care from fee-for-service to value-based care.

Topics covered include the program’s purpose and scope (150–200 rural primary care practices, including rural health clinics, FQHCs, independent and tribal providers), the role of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) as lead agency, and the funding timeline from FY2026–2030. The episode explains how the investment acts as bridge funding—provider-assumed cost designed to create long-term financial sustainability through shared savings, PMPM payments, and eventual capitation.

Key program design features are detailed: three core components (technology and analytics for risk stratification and performance tracking; expert technical assistance to redesign payment models, negotiate contracts, and build capabilities; and governance development to enable shared-risk arrangements such as ACOs or CINs). Practical mechanics are described, including direct provider enablement contracts that offer roughly $100,000 per practice per year for two years as runway, a phased on‑ramp that begins with upside-only shared savings (launching in Q3 FY27) and moves to two‑sided risk no earlier than FY29 Q1, and the critical sequencing required across RHTP pillars.

The conversation highlights essential cross-pillar dependencies and synergies—PCP clinical extension models, CIN development, HIE and EHR interoperability, the technology cooperative, and PACE examples—and why coordinated execution matters. The hosts identify non-negotiable success metrics (VBC contract participation targets: at least 25% by end of year two and 50%+ from year three; improvement in CMS core set prevention and chronic care measures), vendor deliverables and reporting expectations, and alignment with CMS strategic goals around sustainable access and innovative care.

The episode also outlines major risks and failure points: weak TA vendor selection, lack of payer engagement (both Medicaid and commercial), provider resistance or weak organizational readiness, unreliable data flows, and the danger of moving too fast into downside risk. The FY26 procurement of the TA vendor is emphasized as a critical path item—delays there compress the learning window and jeopardize the five‑year plan.

Listeners will come away with a clear sense of what success looks like on the ground—stabilized clinic finances, proactive population health management, stronger workforce recruitment and retention, and sustainable community access—as well as the practical steps, timelines, and accountability structures needed to get there. The episode ends with a challenge to Oklahoma leaders: are providers and payers ready to assume the accountability that true sustainability requires?

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

In this episode of the RHTP podcast hosts unpack the Primary Care Provider Clinical Extension Models — a five‑year, $37+ million initiative designed to solve the operational capacity crisis in rural primary care. We walk through the program’s strategic rationale, its high‑risk Medicaid and dual‑eligible focus, and why OHCA is the lead agency driving a plan explicitly tied to value‑based care performance.

The conversation explains what the clinical extension approach is — external, shared operational teams (care coordinators, health coaches, pharmacists, and technology platforms) that do proactive population health work without expanding practice payroll. We describe the three conceptual models: Primary Care As A Service (shared vendor teams), in‑home wraparound support for high‑need dual eligibles, and technology‑enabled remote monitoring with a human response layer.

Listeners get a clear roadmap of the phased rollout: administrative and design work in FY2026, a first cohort of 10 practices in FY2027–28, a pause for measurement and refinement, a second cohort in year four, and comprehensive outcome analysis by Q4 FY2030. We cover the required evidence standard — a risk‑adjusted total cost of care (TCOC) reduction target of 5–10% versus controls — and the technical challenges around attribution, risk adjustment, and robust measurement.

The episode outlines critical dependencies and risks: tight integration with EHR/HIE and practice enablement initiatives, vendor quality and rural expertise, rigorous practice selection, and—most importantly—managed care entities agreeing to transition to PMPM payments to sustain the model after RHDP funding phases down. We explain the staged financial transition (RHTP fully subsidizes early years, then scales down to force MCE buy‑in) and the governance role OHCA must play to coordinate vendors, data flow, and payer negotiations.

Finally, we tie the operational specifics back to the bigger stakes for Oklahoma: stabilizing fragile rural practices and critical access hospitals, improving clinical outcomes and community trust through wraparound care, and generating Oklahoma‑specific evidence to catalyze broader payer adoption. Expect concrete implementation milestones, realistic execution challenges, and a clear sense of what success will look like for patients, providers, and payers.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

In this detailed episode we unpack Oklahoma’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CDPM) program — a $39,450,000, five‑year investment (FY2026–FY2031) led by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) as part of the Rural Health Transformation Programs (RHTP) Moving Upstream strategy. We trace how the initiative aims to shift care from reactive, high‑cost interventions to prevention and early management across all rural counties, with a central, non‑negotiable goal: sustainability through provable return on investment (ROI) so successful programs become permanently billable services.

Guests and voices include OSDH program leads, representatives from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) and OKShine, tribal health leaders (including lessons from the Chickasaw Nation and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians), technical assistance vendors, and local community program implementers. Together they explain the operational blueprint, evidence base and the interagency coordination required to make the CDPM work.

We break down the program design: a competitive NOFO process with strict guardrails — condition targeting (areas exceeding national averages), alignment with evidence‑based models, rigorous outcomes measurement, and an innovation priority for consumer‑facing technology. Funding covers startup costs, staffing, equipment, outreach, tech build, and technical assistance. The rollout is phased into two staggered cohorts (Cohort 1 in FY2026 and Cohort 2 in FY2028) to enable iterative learning and risk reduction.

The episode highlights the local and national evidence the CDPM must replicate, including the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) and Oklahoma’s Total Wellness Program (TWP), and explains why tribal partnerships and culturally competent approaches are essential. Listeners hear how the state is positioning this as a venture‑style public investment: prove the business case with data so Medicaid, Medicare and commercial payers will cover the services long term.

We map critical dependencies and risks: the consumer‑facing technology platform ($15.95M), community health worker expansion ($10.8M), HIE interoperability through OKShine, and the need for OHCA to pursue state plan amendments or waivers. Major operational assumptions (administrative capacity of small community groups, patient engagement with technology, and local care coordination) are called out along with three key success metrics required to persuade payers — 70% participant retention (by year 2), a 5% reduction in complications (years 4–5), and a 10% symptom improvement (by year 5).

We walk through the budget cadence (front‑loaded startup spending in FY2026, a larger launch spike in FY2028, and outcome/transtion focus in years 4–5), the $1.45M technical assistance allocation (front‑loaded and again in year 5 for sustainability planning), and the stage‑zero priorities that must be executed in Q1–Q2 FY2026 (advisory convening, NOFO finalization, TA procurement). The conversation centers on the single biggest operational and strategic challenge: converting proven program outcomes into durable payer reimbursement before funding sunsets.

By episode end listeners will understand why CDPM is less a one‑off grant and more a systemic experiment: a coordinated, data‑driven attempt to reduce preventable hospitalizations, shore up fragile rural hospital finances, improve Oklahoma’s ranking, build a sustainable rural health workforce, and change how chronic care is paid for in the long run. The final takeaway: early, concurrent payer engagement and flawless execution of the FY2026 startup milestones are indispensable to avoid the program failing at the finish line.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.

Welcome to the Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHDP podcast. This podcast is a production of the Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHDP Task Force, an independent Oklahoma-led collaborative focused on turning one of the most significant rural health investments in our state's history into real, miserable outcomes for our communities. This podcast moves beyond headlines and funding announcements to provide clear, practical insight into what the Rural Health Transformation program means, how it works, and what successful execution will require across Oklahoma.

In this Deep Dive episode the focus is on the structure of modernization within Oklahoma’s RHTP framework, centering on a $65.75 million technology cooperative for primary care and behavioral health providers. We unpack where the cooperative sits within RHTP’s goals, the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s role as lead agency, the implementation timeline (FY2026–FY2030) and the staged rollout and pilot strategy that will test sustainability and adoption.

Topics covered include the cooperative’s dual function as a group purchasing engine and continuous technical-support hub; governance and membership design; master contracting and group purchasing savings targets (10–25%); and the three priority technology categories targeted for procurement and implementation — remote patient monitoring (RPM), telehealth platforms, and AI-enabled clinical documentation. The episode also examines dependencies on parallel investments (EHR expansion and HIE interoperability), how the cooperative complements — rather than competes with — larger initiatives like the CIN and rural health collaborative, and why sequencing and integration are critical.

Guests and contributors in the conversation include Dr. Keely John Booth, MD (host/producer), representatives and experts from the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the RHTP Task Force, and other program stakeholders and implementation partners. The discussion blends operational detail, policy context, and frontline perspectives so clinic administrators, policy leaders, and community members can understand practical risks and opportunities.

Key takeaways and measurable goals highlighted in the episode: the cooperative aims to reduce administrative burden and provider burnout (targeting ~20% documentation time savings by years 3–5), enable RPM-driven reductions in hospitalizations (estimates cited of 20–30% for targeted chronic conditions), and create a provider-assumed, dues-funded sustainability model backed by documented 10–25% technology cost savings. Critical milestones include a small pilot (25–30 providers) and a formal pilot evaluation in Q4 FY2028, with a Q2 FY2029 sustainability proof point required to justify the transition to member-funded operations.

The episode also outlines major failure risks to monitor — mismatched technology for low-bandwidth settings, insufficient implementation and workflow-focused support, and lack of transparent ROI or trust — and the success factors required: strong, representative governance, strict procurement discipline, deep coordination with EHR and HIE efforts, transparent performance monitoring, and rigorous measurement of cost and workflow outcomes.

Listeners will leave the episode with a clear sense of what the cooperative is designed to solve, how it will operate, what success will look like on the ground, and why this initiative could be a replicable model for rural health modernization beyond Oklahoma.

Listeners are invited to join the Oklahoma Rise 25 in 25 RHTP Task Force at Rise25in25.org or email info@rise25in25.org for more information. The Oklahoma Rise 25 and 25 RHTP Forum is produced and directed by Dr. Keley John Booth, MD.