# CMS Funds North Carolina Rural Health Providers

On September 30, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced $20 million for North Carolina’s Rural Health Innovation Fund. The funding is intended to help eligible rural providers expand telehealth and upgrade electronic health records, cybersecurity, and clinical technology. The announcement describes provider funding, not a contract solicitation, and gives no application deadline or procurement contact; businesses may find downstream opportunities as funded providers plan technology purchases and services.

- The funding spans telehealth, EHR modernization, cybersecurity, and clinical technology, creating potential demand across healthcare IT and security services.
- Technology firms and contractors can use state implementation and provider funding announcements, identified in the release as forthcoming, to understand where funded projects may emerge.
- The release does not specify award amounts for individual providers, procurement schedules, or a bid process, so it does not establish an immediate contracting opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Healthcare, Information Technology
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Cybersecurity
**Published:** September 30, 2026

### Government Entities
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- North Carolina (NC)

### Key Quotes
> As states put these resources to work, we’re focused on turning these investments into meaningful, sustainable improvements for the health systems that serve rural North Carolinians.
> — Mehmet Oz, CMS Administrator

> Technology has enormous potential to improve how we deliver healthcare, particularly in rural communities where access to specialists and other medical services can be limited.
> — Greg Murphy, U.S. Representative

### Sources
- [Trump Administration Announces $20 Million to Expand Telehealth Access and Upgrade Healthcare Technology Across Rural North Carolina | CMS](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-announces-20-million-expand-telehealth-access-upgrade-healthcare-technology) - CMS