Millions headed to rural Georgia hospitals for telehealth, staff and new technology

Rural hospitals across Georgia are set to receive more federal support to bring medical care closer to home.

The Trump administration announced Thursday that $93.3 million will support telehealth, medical transportation, surgical robotics and other health care projects in rural Georgia.

Part of the money will help 87 rural hospitals prepare for a payment system that rewards providers for patients' results instead of the number of services delivered, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The funding will also support maternal and mental health care, newborn screenings and dementia care. Other money will help train and recruit nurses, emergency medical technicians and paramedics while improving hospital cybersecurity and expanding telehealth services.

"No Georgian should skip or delay care because they do not have access to the facilities or services they need in their communities," Rep. Mike Collins said in the announcement.

The $93.3 million completes Georgia's first round of funding through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. CMS awarded the state nearly $218.9 million for the first year of its GREAT Health initiative in December. The federal program will distribute $50 billion among all 50 states over five years. 

Georgia's GREAT Health program will oversee the state's rural health projects.