access- Year-one award
- $200,105,604
- Lead agency
- Health Care Policy and Financing
- Maternal care in the plan
- Names maternal care without a maternal line item
- Status
- Awarded
What Colorado's plan says about maternal care
The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing leads the program, which received $200.1 million for year one. The narrative counts 23 frontier counties "that lack critical specialty care access, including behavioral health, obstetric and gynecology services," states that "57.4% of rural counties lack a practicing OBGYN," and puts frontier maternal mortality at "almost four times the national average." The grant program areas made maternal care an eligible activity rather than a line: Support for Telehealth Participation listed "implement remote patient monitoring pilots or expansion programs for perinatal populations" and "establish teleconsultation programs for behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, maternal health, pediatrics, geriatrics, specialty care…" Whole Person Health covered care "across the perinatal lifespan," and the workforce area named obstetric emergency readiness, AIM bundles, and doula and lactation training.
What was funded
The state received 112 eligible applications asking for more than $250 million across 368 projects. On September 28 it announced "$169,587,181 in Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants" to 91 applicants and about 250 projects in 52 rural or frontier counties and three rural census tract counties. Its announcement lists maternal care among the funded categories: "Improving maternal, newborn, and pediatric care, including high-risk pregnancy monitoring, rural obstetric emergency readiness, maternal care navigation, postpartum and newborn home visiting, pediatric specialty care, and pediatric behavioral health."
The published awardee list gives names and amounts, not project descriptions. Two awardees are maternal by name: the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative ($319,650) and Four Corners Ob/Gyn ($204,893). The rest of the maternal work sits inside hospital and health center awards that the state doesn't describe project by project. The list's line items add up to slightly more than the announced total; we use the announced figure.
What comes next, and where a partner fits
The state's FAQ says its current expectation is that participation requires applying to the June 2026 request for applications, so a second round isn't expected. The RHTP Advisory Committee meets October 26, 2026. Technology vendors and consultants take part only as partners or contractors to the awardees. The state keeps a vendor interest form and a partnership list for providers looking for partners, and says it isn't endorsing the vendors on it. A separate $19 million line for professional services from vendors hasn't been procured.
One rule shapes every budget: Colorado's FAQ says grant funds can't pay for billable telehealth services. The money covers availability, platforms, training and coordination, and the consult itself bills Medicaid or the patient's plan.
Where Ouma fits
How tele-MFM fits Colorado's model
Colorado's frontier counties make the case for telehealth maternal care in one sentence: no obstetrician, and hours to the nearest one. A hospital or health center that won money for high-risk pregnancy monitoring or obstetric emergency readiness needs a specialist on the other end of the reading and the phone call. Ouma provides contracted maternal-fetal medicine coverage and ultrasound interpretation to rural and critical access hospitals, structured so the state's grant pays for what a claim doesn't. Ouma is licensed to practice in all 50 states and is Medicaid-enrolled in 20 states as of August 2026.
See every state's plan side by side or what a partner letter for an application looks like.
Frequently asked questions
Will Colorado run another round?
Not as things stand. The state's FAQ says its current expectation is that participation requires applying to the June 2026 request for applications. Vendors can still join an awardee's project as a contractor.
Which Colorado awards are maternal?
Two awardees are maternal by name: the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative ($319,650) and Four Corners Ob/Gyn ($204,893). The state lists high-risk pregnancy monitoring, rural obstetric emergency readiness, maternal care navigation and postpartum home visiting among the funded work, most of it inside broader hospital and health center awards.
Can grant money pay for a telehealth consult?
Not if the consult is billable. Colorado's FAQ says grant funds can't pay for billable telehealth services.