Colorado's Rural Health Transformation Program: Pharmacy Funding Opportunity
MedMe Team
January 26, 2026
A look into Colorado's RHT funding and initiative from a pharmacy lens.
Colorado's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) represents a transformational investment in rural healthcare providers, including pharmacies. With federally-defined rural and frontier counties across Colorado facing significant healthcare access gaps, this is an unprecedented pharmacy expansion funding opportunity.
The catch? You need clinical documentation, medical billing infrastructure, and data reporting capabilities. Traditional pharmacy systems can't do this.
This is where MedMe Health becomes essential. Our pharmacy-first EMR sits on top of your existing PMS and enables the clinical documentation, medical billing, telehealth, and reporting required to win RHTP grants.
The RHTP Opportunity: Four Strategic Funding Pillars
Colorado's RHTP funding is structured across four permissible use categories, each targeting critical gaps in rural healthcare delivery.
1. Prevention and Chronic Disease Management
Evidence-based, measurable interventions for chronic disease
Consumer technology solutions for health management
Technology infrastructure including technical assistance, software, and hardware
Enhanced cybersecurity capabilities
Improved patient health outcomes through technology
2. Fostering Collaboration and Workforce Development
Strategic partnerships between rural facilities and healthcare providers
Quality improvement initiatives
Financial stability support for rural facilities
Clinical workforce recruitment and retention
5-year rural service commitments
Workforce development programs
3. Appropriate Care Availability
Right-sizing healthcare delivery systems
Preventative care services
Ambulatory and outpatient care
Pre-hospital and emergency services
Acute inpatient care
Post-acute care service lines
4. Innovative Models of Care
Value-based care arrangements
Alternative payment models
Outcome-focused reimbursement
Financial sustainability initiatives
Why Traditional Pharmacy Systems Fail for RHTP
Your current PMS (QS/1, Pioneer, Liberty, McKesson) handles dispensing but lacks:
✗ Clinical documentation for patient encounters
✗ SOAP note templates
✗ Medical billing with CPT codes
✗ Telehealth capability
✗ Clinical outcome tracking
✗ Patient appointment scheduling
✗ Grant-required reporting
Without these, you cannot access RHTP funding.
The MedMe Solution: Pharmacy EMR Built for RHTP
MedMe Health is a pharmacy-first EMR that sits on top of your existing PMS, integrates bidirectionally, and provides everything needed for RHTP grants.
✓ Clinical Documentation & Notes
What Grant Reviewers Need:Proof you're delivering clinical services with proper documentation, not just dispensing records.
What MedMe Provides:
Structured clinical templates for every RHTP-funded service:
Reduces documentation time by 80% (30 min → 5 min per patient)
Eliminates the documentation burden that kills most clinical programs
Audit-ready records:
Complete audit trails
Electronic signatures
HIPAA-compliant security
Grant compliance built-in
Result: Document 50+ patient encounters per week without overwhelming your pharmacist.
✓ Medical Billing & Claims
What Grant Reviewers Need:Proof your services will be financially sustainable after grant funding ends—aligned with Colorado's focus on innovative payment models.
What MedMe Provides:
Integrated medical billing platform that submits claims directly from clinical documentation
Built-in AI that suggests appropriate billing codes based on documented services:
MTM services (CPT 99605, 99606, 99607)
Chronic care management (CPT 99490, 99439)
Immunization administration (CPT 90471-90474)
Behavioral health screening codes
Transitional care management (CPT 99495, 99496)
Revenue cycle management:
Track claim status (submitted, paid, denied)
Separate medical billing dashboard from Rx revenue
Payment posting and reconciliation
Eligibility verification before services
Denials Management:
Monitor your denied claims and handle them for you
Resubmits the claim and fills the missing requirements
Credentialing support
Contracting assistance
Result: Your clinical services generate revenue from day one, proving sustainability in grant applications and supporting Colorado's value-based care goals.
✓ Patient Record Management
What Grant Reviewers Need:Centralized patient health records showing comprehensive care—not just dispensing history.
What MedMe Provides:
Centralized clinical patient record within the pharmacy EMR
Bidirectional sync with your PMS - medication history automatically updated
Comprehensive patient profiles:
Medication lists (synced from PMS)
Clinical visit history
Documentation of all clinical encounters
Immunization records
Service history tracking
Result: Demonstrate comprehensive patient management to grant reviewers.
✓ Online Scheduling
What Grant Reviewers Need:Patient access to services with minimal barriers—critical in Colorado's rural and frontier communities.
What MedMe Provides:
Patients book appointments online for any clinical service (MTM, immunizations, chronic disease visits, medication counseling)
Appointments automatically appear in your EMR workflows
Multi-service booking - patients schedule flu shot + BP check + medication review in one visit
Group booking - families schedule together (multiple flu shots, for example)
Automated notifications via SMS and email
Seamless scheduling management - cancellations and rescheduling handled automatically
Result: 3x more patient bookings with zero additional staff time for phone scheduling.
✓ Patient Engagement
What Grant Reviewers Need:Evidence of patient follow-up and ongoing engagement—supporting Colorado's emphasis on prevention and chronic disease management.
What MedMe Provides:
Automated appointment reminders (SMS/email) reduce no-shows by 40%
Streamlined intake - collect patient information and consent digitally before appointments
Pre-visit forms sent automatically
Post-visit follow-ups - care plans, medication instructions, next appointments
All connected to patient EMR record for continuity
Result: Better patient outcomes with less manual staff work.
✓ Telehealth Platform
What Grant Reviewers Need:Capability to serve rural Colorado patients remotely—critical for frontier communities and mountainous regions.
What MedMe Provides:
Integrated telehealth within the EMR (no separate platform needed)
Conduct virtual medication therapy management
Remote chronic disease consultations
Virtual immunization counseling and follow-up
Post-discharge medication reconciliation via telehealth
Documentation captured directly in EMR during telehealth visit
Result: Serve patients across Colorado's rural and mountainous regions without requiring them to travel. This directly addresses RHTP's access barrier priorities.
✓ Reporting & Analytics
What Grant Reviewers Need:Quarterly reporting on clinical outcomes, patient volumes, and financial performance—demonstrating measurable interventions.
What MedMe Provides:
Built-in reporting dashboards track all grant-required metrics:
Access metrics: patients served, encounters delivered, services by type
Financial performance: revenue by service type, billing collection rates
Service delivery: documentation of care provided across clinical programs
One-click report generation for quarterly grant submissions
Visual dashboards with charts and graphs
Real-time data - no waiting for month-end spreadsheets
Result: Grant compliance reporting takes minutes instead of hours.
✓ Built-in AI Tools - The Game-Changer
While clinical judgment always remains with the pharmacist, AI automates manual and redundant work—aligned with Colorado's technology innovation goals.
What Makes MedMe Different:AI doesn't just assist, it transforms how fast you can deliver and document clinical services.
MedMe's AI:
Completes documentation forms automatically
Prepares SOAP notes from structured data entry
Suggests billing codes based on documented activities
Reduces documentation from 30 min to 5 min per patient
Real-World Impact:
Traditional manual: 30 min/patient = 2 patients/hour
With MedMe AI: 5 min/patient = 12 patients/hour
6x more patients served with same pharmacist time
Why This Matters for Grants:
Serve larger patient volumes = higher grant funding
Services: Consumer-facing technology for medication management, digital health tools, enhanced cybersecurity, patient engagement platforms
MedMe Enables:
Consumer-facing online scheduling and engagement tools
Technical assistance through MedMe support team
Software infrastructure for clinical pharmacy services
Enhanced documentation and billing systems
Integration with existing Health First Colorado programs
Grant Size: $50K-$300K
Key Focus: Colorado specifically mentions "consumer tech solutions" and "technical assistance, software, and hardware for significant information technology advances."
3. Collaborative Care Partnerships (Pillar 2)
Services: Strategic partnerships with rural hospitals and clinics, integrated care coordination, medication reconciliation, post-discharge services
MedMe Enables:
Clinical documentation for collaborative care activities
Care coordination tracking across providers
Transitional care management billing (CPT 99495, 99496)
Telehealth for post-discharge follow-up
Financial stability through medical billing revenue
Grant Size: $100K-$500K
Key Focus: Colorado aims to "foster local and regional strategic partnerships between rural facilities and other health care providers."
4. Workforce Development & Training (Pillar 2)
Services: Pharmacy technician training for clinical services, pharmacist scope expansion, clinical service training programs
MedMe Enables:
Clinical documentation system for training environments
Medical billing infrastructure to support expanded services
Telehealth capabilities for remote training and supervision
Reporting on training outcomes and service delivery
Support for 5-year rural service commitments
Grant Size: $50K-$250K
Key Focus: Colorado emphasizes "recruiting and retaining clinical workforce talent to rural areas, with commitments to serve rural communities for a minimum of 5 years."
5. Value-Based Care & Alternative Payment Models (Pillar 4)
Reporting for quality metrics and performance tracking
Financial sustainability through alternative payment models
Integration with Health First Colorado value-based programs
Grant Size: $75K-$400K
Key Focus: Colorado's RHTP includes "developing projects that support innovative models of care that include value-based care arrangements and alternative payment models."
Eligibility: Can Your Pharmacy Qualify?
✓ Geographic Requirement
Must operate in one of Colorado's federally-defined rural or frontier counties. Colorado's RHTP targets these underserved areas.
✓ Clinical Capacity (This Is Where MedMe Is Critical)
You need to demonstrate:
Clinical documentation capability → MedMe's EMR with AI
Medical billing infrastructure → MedMe's integrated billing
Data reporting for outcomes → MedMe's analytics dashboards
Consumer technology: Patient-facing scheduling and engagement
Innovation: AI-powered documentation and billing
Value-based care: Alternative payment model readiness
Conclusion
Colorado's Rural Health Transformation Program is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for rural pharmacies. But accessing these funds requires operational capabilities that traditional pharmacy systems cannot provide.
MedMe Health's pharmacy-first EMR was purpose-built for this moment:
Clinical documentation with AI automation
Medical billing supporting value-based care
Telehealth reaching Colorado's rural and mountain communities
Reporting for grant compliance and measurable outcomes
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing: https://hcpf.colorado.gov/
Colorado Rural Health Center: https://coruralhealth.org/
Health First Colorado (Medicaid): https://hcpf.colorado.gov/health-first-colorado
Ready to become RHTP-ready? Colorado's rural communities need your clinical pharmacy services. MedMe gives you the infrastructure to deliver them, the technology innovation Colorado prioritizes, and the tools to secure funding. Schedule your demo today.
WRITTEN BY:
MedMe Team
Articles created by MedMe Team.
Ready to Enhance Your Pharmacy’s Clinical Practice?
Subscribe to our newsletter
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.