CO · 64 Counties
Colorado Rural Health FAQ
Data-driven answers about Colorado's 121 hospitals, federal grants, health metrics, and access gaps.
🏥Hospital Access & Infrastructure
How many rural hospitals are in Colorado?
Colorado has 121 active hospitals across 64 counties, including 32 Critical Access Hospitals and 42 rural-designated facilities. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospital beds are available in Colorado?
Colorado's 121 hospitals collectively operate 15,477 beds. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
Which counties in Colorado have no hospital?
16 of Colorado's 64 counties (25%) are hospital deserts — counties with no hospital facility. Residents must travel to neighboring areas for inpatient care. Source: CMS Provider of Services, RHT Compass analysis.
What is the hospital ownership breakdown in Colorado?
Of Colorado's 121 hospitals, 55 are not-for-profit, 4 are for-profit, and 62 are government-owned. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
💰Financial Health
What is the median operating margin for hospitals in Colorado?
The median operating margin for Colorado's hospitals is 0.5% as of FY2025. 16 hospitals are operating at a loss. Source: CMS Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS).
How many hospitals in Colorado have negative operating margins?
16 of Colorado's hospitals reported negative operating margins in FY2025, meaning their operating expenses exceeded revenue. Source: CMS HCRIS.
What is the average hospital occupancy rate in Colorado?
The average occupancy rate across Colorado's hospitals is 55.5% as of FY2025. Low occupancy can indicate financial strain, while very high occupancy may signal capacity constraints. Source: CMS HCRIS.
💵Grants & Programs
What federal grants are available for rural hospitals in Colorado?
Colorado receives 23 active HRSA grants totaling $23.4M in FY2025. Programs include Rural Health Outreach ($13.9M), Flex Program ($5.0M), Small Hospital Improvement (SHIP) ($3.1M), State Office of Rural Health ($1.5M). Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the Rural Health Care Services Outreach program in Colorado?
Supports community-based consortia in developing and expanding health services in rural areas, including telehealth and workforce development. In Colorado, this program (CFDA 93.912) provides $13.9M across 20 grants. Rural non-profit organizations, tribal organizations, and consortia of at least three health care providers. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant (Flex) program in Colorado?
Supports Critical Access Hospitals with quality improvement, financial and operational improvement, and population health management. In Colorado, this program (CFDA 93.241) provides $5.0M across 1 grant. State offices of rural health apply on behalf of CAHs. Funds flow to state agencies, which distribute to eligible facilities. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) program in Colorado?
Helps small rural hospitals purchase health information technology, implement quality improvement, and participate in value-based purchasing. In Colorado, this program (CFDA 93.301) provides $3.1M across 1 grant. Hospitals with 49 or fewer beds that are not Critical Access Hospitals. Administered through state offices of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
What is the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program in Colorado?
Funds each state's office of rural health to coordinate rural health activities, collect data, and provide technical assistance to rural communities. In Colorado, this program (CFDA 93.913) provides $1.5M across 1 grant. One award per state to the designated state office of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
Who are the largest grant recipients in Colorado?
The largest rural health grant recipients in Colorado are: Colorado Rural Health Center ($9.7M); The Memorial Hospital ($5.5M); Illuminate Colorado Inc. ($2.0M); Tri-County Health Network ($1.1M); The Schreiber Research Group ($1.0M). Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025.
🎯AHEAD & RHT Transformation
How much RHT Transformation funding did Colorado receive?
Colorado receives $200.1M/year under the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) for FY2026–2030 — approximately $1.0B over the full five-year period. The lead agency is State of Colorado - Dept of Health Care Policy & Financing. Source: USAspending.gov.
Who manages the RHT Transformation award in Colorado?
State of Colorado - Dept of Health Care Policy & Financing is the designated lead agency managing Colorado's $200.1M/year RHT Transformation award. The performance period runs from 2025-12-29 to 2030-10-30. Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the CMS AHEAD model and how does it affect Colorado?
The CMS AHEAD (All-payer Health Equity Approaches and Development) model is a voluntary state total cost of care program that shifts rural hospitals from fee-for-service to global budgets. Colorado's $200.1M/year RHT award supports the transition. Hospitals can use the AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead to assess preparedness.
❤️Community Health
What are the key health indicators for Colorado's counties?
Across Colorado's 64 counties, the average diabetes rate is 8.3%, obesity rate is 27.7%, and uninsured rate is 9.7%. There are 7.0 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents on average (2025). Source: County Health Rankings.
How vulnerable are Colorado's communities?
Colorado has 12 high-vulnerability counties based on CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores, with a statewide average SVI of 0.44 (on a 0-1 scale where 1 is most vulnerable). Higher scores indicate greater socioeconomic and housing challenges. Source: CDC SVI (2022).
What health professional shortages exist in Colorado?
Colorado has 469 Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations: 198 in primary care, 143 in dental health, and 128 in mental health. An estimated 8,985,443 people live in underserved areas. Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce.
How many healthcare providers does Colorado have?
Colorado has 4,887 primary care physicians (83.1/100k population), 6,935 nurse practitioners, 5,168 physician assistants, and 5,292 dentists. Average Medicare per capita cost is $11,178 with a 13.8% readmission rate. Source: AHRF 2024-2025.
What are the key health indicators for Colorado at the census tract level?
CDC PLACES data shows Colorado's average county-level rates: diabetes 10.7%, obesity 27.4%, depression 22.6%, frequent mental distress 16.1%, smoking 13%, and high blood pressure 31.7%. These are derived from census-tract-level BRFSS estimates. Source: CDC PLACES 2023-2024.
How many Federally Qualified Health Centers are in Colorado?
Colorado has 270 FQHC sites operated by 19 grantee organizations. 110 sites (40.7%) are in rural areas and 160 are in urban areas. FQHCs are a critical safety-net for underserved populations. Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in Colorado?
Colorado has 75 HRSA medically underserved designations: 68 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and 7 Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs). The average MUA score is 44.7 (lower scores indicate greater need). Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
🛠️Tools & Resources
Who can help rural hospitals in Colorado prepare for the CMS AHEAD model?
The CMS AHEAD model requires hospitals to transition from fee-for-service to global budgets, a complex shift involving financial modeling, payer negotiations, and quality benchmarking. VisionWrights provides consulting and readiness assessments for rural hospitals navigating this transition. A free AHEAD Readiness checklist is available at rhtcompass.com/ahead.
Where can I find comprehensive data on rural hospitals in Colorado?
Federal data on Colorado's rural hospitals is spread across CMS, HRSA, CDC, and other agencies. RHT Compass integrates 15 federal data sources into a single platform with hospital profiles, county health dashboards, financial benchmarks, and grant tracking for all 121 hospitals in Colorado.
How can I assess my hospital's AHEAD readiness?
The free AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead walks hospital leaders through 20+ criteria covering financial preparedness, care model alignment, data infrastructure, and community partnerships. It takes about 10 minutes and produces an actionable readiness score.
See the Full Colorado Dashboard
Interactive dashboards, AI queries, and hospital risk scoring for Colorado's 121 hospitals.
Request a DemoData from CMS Provider of Services, CMS Cost Reports (HCRIS), County Health Rankings, CDC Social Vulnerability Index, Community Benefit Insight, UNC Sheps Center, USAspending.gov, and HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce. Last updated: 2026-03-11.