A digital roadmap for states to transform rural health access

When CMS launched the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program in September 2025, it created one of the most ambitious federal efforts to modernize rural healthcare delivery in decades. For states, it’s an opportunity to design a plan that expands access, strengthens the workforce, and deploys technology to improve quality and sustainability.

Now more than ever, people – especially those living in rural America – need a connected, sustainable healthcare system leveraging technology and new models to make access simpler, smarter, more affordable, and personalized for them and their families. And Sharecare’s next-generation, clinically validated, and AI-enabled health navigation platform, AskMD, was built precisely for this moment.

At its core, AskMD is a flexible and interoperable member-facing digital tool (think a “GPS for care”) that helps people understand their symptoms, verify benefits, and access the right care at the right time, 24/7. And for those in rural communities where provider shortages, transportation barriers, and fragmented systems limit access, AskMD delivers:

• 24/7 digital entry point to healthcare: Provides residents with personalized triage guidance in plain language and identifies the right level of care and qualified providers through AI-driven clinical reasoning tailored to each person’s location, coverage, history, and context.
• Real-time insurance and eligibility verification: Reduces friction at the point of care and ensures people access the services they qualify for and best meet their needs.
• Connected provider networks: Extends local capacity and improves continuity by linking residents to nearby clinics, hospitals, and telehealth partners.

With that, we recognize that states need help turning solutions like AskMD into fundable action plans – which is why Sharecare developed the AskMD Rural Health Transformation Kit, a resource mapped directly against CMS’s RHT Program framework to help state teams:

• Translate RHT Program requirements into actionable strategies
• Align the AskMD platform (and complementary solutions) with each CMS scoring category
• Build evidence-based narratives and metrics frameworks
• Accelerate collaboration among state agencies, payors, and health systems.

For residents in rural areas, in particular, AskMD is the digital front door that informs, engages, and empowers them to get the care they need – and deserve. And Sharecare’s AskMD Rural Health Transformation Kit is a valuable tool that gives states a structured, ready-to-customize path – from vision to submission to implementation – that meets consumer demands for digital-first tools to manage their health, just as they already use across travel, banking, and retail.

To learn more and download the AskMD Rural Health Transformation Kit, visit askmdhealth.com.