Evaluation of Vermont’s Rural Health Transformation Program

Woman trail running on a rocky ridgeline of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont.

Challenge

Vermont needs timely feedback as it transforms its rural health system.

Rural communities across Vermont face health care challenges related to workforce shortages, access to care, and affordability. In response, the Vermont Agency of Human Services launched the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a multi-year initiative designed to invest in and strengthen the state’s rural health system.

The program’s initiatives are being implemented across various regions and on different timelines. This makes tracking overall progress difficult. State leaders need timely, credible information about what is working, where challenges remain, and whether investments are improving health care for Vermont residents, while there is still time to make adjustments. The data must also support federal reporting requirements and state decision-making, as well as be available to the public.

Solution

NORC is building an evaluation framework to show what is working while the program is still underway.

As the independent evaluator for RHTP, we are developing an evaluation framework grounded in Results-Based Accountability (RBA), Vermont’s established approach to performance measurement.

The evaluation combines quantitative and qualitative methods to assess implementation, outcomes, and system transformation. We analyze administrative, programmatic, and health care data to track access, workforce capacity, utilization, quality, and cost. Interviews, focus groups, and stakeholder engagement explain how these efforts are being implemented across communities that differ in size, geography, and resources. Periodic social media scans add community perspectives, help identify emerging issues, and provide additional context to understand how residents are experiencing the transformation efforts.

Our approach will deliver findings regularly, allowing the state to monitor progress toward program goals, identify emerging challenges, and make informed adjustments throughout implementation.

Result

Interactive dashboards and monitoring tools will be available to inform state decision-making throughout the program’s five years.

Over five years, we will produce evaluation reports, interactive dashboards, and performance-monitoring tools. State health officials will use them to assess progress, meet federal reporting requirements, and weigh where to direct funding next. Findings will also contribute to the broader evidence base on rural health system transformation.