# Rural Development Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act of 2025

This bill creates a new program to help rural hospitals get expert advice and support to improve their operations and stay financially healthy. The program would be run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rural development division, which already works with communities in farming and less populated areas.

The bill recognizes that hospitals in rural areas face unique challenges that hospitals in cities don't have. Rural hospitals often struggle with smaller patient populations, difficulty attracting and keeping medical staff, and tighter budgets. This program would provide technical assistance—basically expert consultants and guidance—to help these hospitals figure out how to run more efficiently, manage their finances better, and adapt to changes in healthcare. The assistance could cover things like how to use technology more effectively, improve patient care, reduce costs, or navigate complicated healthcare regulations.

If passed, this would mainly benefit people living in rural communities by helping ensure their local hospitals remain open and functional. Rural hospitals have been closing at an alarming rate across the country, leaving some communities without emergency care or basic medical services. By providing free or low-cost expert help, this program aims to prevent more closures and keep healthcare accessible to people who live far from major cities. The program would be funded through the federal government, so it wouldn't cost rural hospitals anything to participate in getting this technical assistance.

Rural Development Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act of 2025

Rounds, Mike

Rural Development&nbsp;Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act&nbsp;of 2025This bill provides statutory authority for the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program within the Department of Agriculture (USDA).Under the bill, USDA must establish and maintain (directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement) a program&nbsp;to help eligible hospital facilities in rural areas (i.e., an area with a population of 50,000 inhabitants or less).The program must provide tailored technical assistance and training to hospital facilities to identify development needs for maintaining essential health care services and support action plans for financial, operational, and quality improvement projects to meet these needs. Development needs include (1) constructing, expanding, and modernizing health care facilities; (2) increasing telehealth capabilities; and (3) acquiring or upgrading health care information systems (e.g., electronic health records).The program must also provide technical assistance and training to help hospital facilities to&nbsp;better manage their financial and business strategies and identify, and apply for assistance from, USDA loan and grant programs.In selecting eligible hospital facilities to participate in the program, USDA must give priority to borrowers of loans and recipients of grants from certain USDA rural assistance programs.USDA must also submit an annual report to Congress on the progress and results of the program.