Rural Health Transformation Program - Artifical Intelligence (AI) Transcription/Scribe Technology

Vermont is offering funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program to support healthcare providers in acquiring or upgrading Artificial Intelligence-powered transcription and scribe technology, with the goal of enhancing rural healthcare delivery across the state. This initiative, funded by a $195 million federal grant in its first year, seeks to alleviate administrative burdens on clinicians by automating the creation of clinical documentation through AI-driven tools that transcribe patient-provider conversations, generate structured notes, and produce follow-up materials—freeing up over two hours of clinician time per day. The solicitation, RHT_AHS_001_FY26, targets providers serving rural communities who currently lack such technology or wish to expand its use, with performance expected to occur wherever services are rendered to recipients of Vermont’s Agency of Human Services programs, primarily within the state’s rural ZIP code areas. Eligible applicants must possess a valid Unique Entity Identifier, comply with federal and state regulations including HIPAA, 45 CFR parts 76 and 170.215, and adhere to the ban on equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, and Dahua under Public Law 115-232. Proposals will be evaluated primarily on the comprehensiveness of their implementation plan—including integration of AI-generated notes into electronic health records—and the qualifications and experience of the respondent, with no price-based evaluation factor, indicating a trade-off approach favoring technical merit. The award period is expected to be 14 months, starting August 1, 2026, and ending September 30, 2027, with submissions due by June 3, 2026. Contractors must not use state-funded data to train AI models, destroy all such data upon contract completion, prohibit unauthorized cross-border data transfers, and comply with the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Certification. The contract is structured as a grant under 2 CFR 200, with all deliverables, compliance obligations, and rights to intellectual property governed by attachments including Scope of Work, Payment Provisions, State-specific provisions, and standard AHS contract terms. All proposals must be submitted electronically through Vermont’s online application portal, and recipients are required to meet federal reporting obligations including FFATA and civil rights compliance under Title VI.