Maine DHHS Announces $30 Million Investment to Help Health Care Providers Modernize Electronic Medical Record Systems to Better Serve Rural Communities

Jul 10, 2026

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today that it plans to invest approximately $30 million in Year 1 funding through Maine’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to help eligible health care providers replace, upgrade, and enhance electronic medical record (EMR) systems to better serve rural communities.

This is the first provider funding opportunity under Maine’s Rural Health Transformation Program with funding available to support eligible hospitals, primary care practices, health centers, behavioral health providers, and opioid treatment programs. This initial investment will help providers serving Maine’s rural communities modernize and better connect electronic medical record systems, expand the use of innovative technologies, and improve care delivery and health outcomes.

“Strong, modern health care infrastructure is essential to preserving access to care in rural communities,” said DHHS Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes. “This investment will help Maine providers enhance and upgrade the systems they rely on every day to coordinate care, support patients, and improve health outcomes across the state.”

Eligible applicants for this opportunity are expected to include: Critical Access Hospitals and general hospitals with a dedicated emergency department; hospital-owned primary care practices and Rural Health Clinics; Federally Qualified Health Centers and FQHC-look alike health centers; independent Rural Health Clinics; independent primary care practices located in rural areas; Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics; and Opioid Treatment Programs.

Applicants and all owned sites must be located in Maine, enrolled as MaineCare providers and actively serving MaineCare members, appropriately licensed, in good standing with the State, and serving patients from rural communities.

All eligible organizations that submit a qualifying application are expected to receive an award. Final award amounts will depend on the number of eligible applicants and sites, as well as rural designation. Rural sites are expected to receive approximately 50 percent higher funding than comparable non-rural sites serving rural populations.

Anticipated Year 1 funding for the EMR initiative includes:

• Approximately $9 million for hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals and general hospitals with a dedicated emergency department. Qualified hospitals that apply are expected to receive an estimated minimum award of approximately $306,000 for rural hospitals and approximately $204,000 for non-rural hospitals.
• Approximately $20.4 million for comprehensive care providers, including primary care practices and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Qualified organizations are expected to receive minimum awards of approximately $81,000 per rural site and approximately $54,000 per non-rural site.
• Approximately $600,000 for focused care providers, including Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs). Qualified OTPs are expected to receive minimum awards of approximately $42,000 per rural site and approximately $28,000 per non-rural site.

Funding may be used for electronic medical record system replacements, upgrades, enhancements, related hardware, and associated staff or consultant time needed to implement improvements.

The application process will be hosted by MCD Global Health, a contracted partner supporting Maine’s Rural Health Transformation Program, and is anticipated to open in mid-July.

“These first-year EMR modernization investments represent an important step toward building a more connected, resilient health care system for Maine,” said Danielle Louder, co-director of U.S. Programs and director of Technology and Innovation initiatives for RHTP at MCD Global Health. “By helping providers replace outdated technology, strengthen existing systems, and expand capabilities like population health, augmented intelligence, telehealth, interoperability, and cybersecurity, these investments will support better coordinated care and improved health outcomes.”

Additional funding opportunities and program activities aligned with Maine’s approved Rural Health Transformation Program application will be announced in the coming weeks and months. Providers, partners, and community members are encouraged to visit Maine’s RHTP website for updates.

Maine’s Rural Health Transformation Program is a five-year federal grant program designed to improve health outcomes, expand patient access to care, strengthen the health care workforce, advance innovation, and support sustainable rural health systems. For more information about Maine’s RHTP visit maine.gov/dhhs/rhtp.

This program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $190,008,051.09 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.