PIERRE, S.D. • The Department of Social Services said it has been awarded up to $5 million in federal funding to transform the way health care is delivered in rural communities.
South Dakota Medicaid, a division of DSS, will serve as the lead organization for this rural health transformation opportunity. South Dakota Medicaid is one of the state’s largest healthcare purchasers, providing health care coverage for more than 140,000 of South Dakota’s approximately 884,000 residents.
“South Dakota’s rural landscape presents unique challenges for health care service delivery,” said DSS Cabinet Secretary Laurie Gill. “These funds will help address access to care issues in rural areas of the state and accelerate the state’s transition to more innovative payment methodologies and value-based purchasing.”
South Dakota is one of four states awarded funds by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model. The goals of the projects funded by CMS are to increase access to care and improve quality of care and health outcomes for rural Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and to increase the financial stability of rural providers.
Implementation of the transformation project will begin in January 2023.
