Rural Health Transformation Program: Modernizing the Role of Prior Authorizations

Date: Thursday May 28, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm CT
Location: Virtual

Course Summary

Rural communities across the United States are facing rising care gaps, facility closures, workforce shortages, and administrative inefficiencies. In response, the federal government has launched the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, the largest rural health investment in U.S. history. These funds are designed to help rural providers improve operational efficiency, expand access to care, modernize technology, and reduce administrative burdens delaying patient treatment. 

Administrative complexity has real consequences for patients. According to the American Medical Association, 94 percent of patients experience delays in care and 78 percent abandon treatment due to administrative obstacles. 

Modernizing prior authorization (PA) processes aligns directly with the RHT program’s funded priorities, including administrative simplification, technology modernization, data sharing, care coordination, and improved access. Investments in PA optimization address these priorities head-on, making PA modernization an eligible and highly strategic use of federal rural health transformation funding. 

Join us to gain practical insights into how rural providers can leverage federal funding to implement streamlined, technologically-enabled PA systems. We’ll highlight successful case studies and discuss actionable strategies for reducing delays, supporting overstretched rural care teams, and improving patient outcomes. Explore the future of rural health and discover how modern PA solutions can transform access, efficiency and quality in underserved communities. 

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the unique challenges rural providers face with current PA processes and understand how these impact patient access and care delivery. 
2. Describe how federal funding through the RHT Program can be leveraged to modernize PA systems, streamline administrative workflows, and support workforce efficiency. 
3. Evaluate real-world examples of successful PA modernization in rural communities and extract actionable strategies for reducing delays, improving care coordination, and supporting care teams. 
4. Discuss the role of technology and data sharing in advancing PA modernization and improving health outcomes for underserved rural populations. 

This program is approved for (1) continuing education unit(s) for use in fulfilling the continuing education requirements of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Granting prior approval from AHIMA does not constitute endorsement of the program content or its program sponsor.

To receive this CEU:

1. Register and attend the live webinar
2. Within 24 hours, you will receive an email with a post-event survey
3. Complete the survey correctly and receive an email with your certificate of completion within two weeks

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