access- Year-one award
- $195,743,566
- Lead agency
- Dept. of Health and Human Services
- Maternal care in the plan
- Names maternal care without a maternal line item
- Status
- Closed, awards pending
What Utah's plan says about maternal care
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services runs the program, which received $195.7 million for year one, through seven initiatives. The plan's need statement: "In five rural Utah counties, the average travel time to a birthing hospital is over 60 minutes," and "the percentage of pregnant women living in rural Utah counties that received prenatal care in the first trimester is alarmingly low (62.83% rural, 66.47% frontier)."
The telehealth initiative, LIFT, is run by the Utah Telehealth Network. Its eligible projects include maternal and infant health, virtual perinatal care and lactation support, and the plan says "regional partnerships with maternal-fetal medicine specialists provide sustainable access to high-risk expertise." Other initiatives name maternal health networks (SHIFT) and fetal monitoring (SUPPORT).
What is open, and what comes next
- LIFT scalable telehealth, up to $23.69 million: closed August 10, 2026. Awards not published.
- New Models of Care, a pool of up to $10 million with about 12 awards expected: closed September 1, with projects estimated to start October 5. Awards not published.
- Rural Health Provider Networks, which names maternal health networks, up to $2.5 million in year one: closed August 14.
- Workforce rounds (not maternal) close October 29.
- Next: a statewide consortium will run its own sub-rounds for capital and technology projects, including fetal monitoring and prenatal care tools.
Who can apply, and where a partner fits
The rules differ by round. LIFT allowed for-profit organizations that operate in or directly serve one or more of Utah's 25 rural counties. New Models of Care limited applicants to Utah organizations and organizations from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho or Nevada with a history of serving Utahns, and the state's Q&A extends that to "any partner, subcontractor, or lower-tier subcontractor funded to deliver direct patient care"; technology and product vendors are exempt. The workforce rounds require Utah consortia.
Where Ouma fits
How tele-MFM fits Utah's model
Utah's plan already names the model: regional partnerships with maternal-fetal medicine specialists as the way to keep high-risk expertise available in rural counties an hour from a birthing hospital. Ouma provides contracted maternal-fetal medicine coverage and ultrasound interpretation to rural and critical access hospitals. 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
Can an out-of-state telehealth practice take part in Utah's rounds?
It depends on the round. The LIFT telehealth round allowed for-profits that directly serve rural Utah. New Models of Care limited funded clinical partners to Utah and four neighboring states.
Is New Models of Care $10 million per award?
No. It's a pool of up to $10 million with about 12 awards expected; the state's Q&A estimates they would average $800,000 to $1 million if split evenly.