ILLINOIS’ RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS IN IMPROVING HEALTHCARE ACCESS, QUALITY, AND OUTCOMES BY TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE DELIVERY. THIS PROGRAM SEEKS TO RESHAPE HEALTHCARE DELIVERY TO BETTER ALIGN WITH COMMUNITY NEEDS AND IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL SYSTEMS OF CARE. PROGRAM YEAR 1 WILL SUPPORT PLANNING GRANTS FOR AWARDEES TO DEVELOP A REGIONALLY TAILORED AND DATA DRIVEN TRANSFORMATION PLAN THAT IDENTIFIES DELIVERY SYSTEM GAPS AND UNMET COMMUNITY NEEDS AND OUTLINES STRATEGIES TO TRANSFORM SERVICE LINES, DEPLOY NEW MODELS OF CARE DELIVERY, AND TEST SUSTAINABLE VBP (VALUE-BASED PURCHASING) METHODOLOGIES. PLANNING AWARDS WILL ALSO BE USED TO ESTABLISH REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, PARTICIPATE IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BUILD INITIAL INFRASTRUCTURE.