GLASGOW, Ky. — Kentucky’s rural health care system is set to receive a boost through a new national initiative aimed at speeding up payments to hospitals and reducing administrative burdens, with Glasgow’s T.J. Samson Community Hospital among the facilities included in the rollout.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday Kentucky is one of five additional states selected for UnitedHealthcare’s expanded Rural Payment Acceleration Pilot, a program designed to improve cash flow for rural hospitals and simplify billing processes that can slow down patient care.

“Rural health-care facilities are a lifeline for Americans across our country, and the federal government’s dangerous Medicaid cuts are causing them to face closure or reduce services, which ultimately puts lives at risk,” Beshear said.

In addition to Glasgow’s T.J. Samson Community Hospital, the Kentucky hospitals included in the initial rollout are Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana, Murray-Calloway County Public Hospital in Murray, Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, and Taylor Regional Hospital in Campbellsville.

The program focuses on accelerating payments to rural providers, reducing paperwork, and limiting prior authorization requirements that often delay treatment decisions.

According to UnitedHealthcare, the initiative builds on a pilot launched earlier this year in four states, where average payment timelines for participating hospitals dropped from nearly 30 days to under 15.

Local health care leaders say the changes could have a direct impact on hospital operations and patient care in communities like Glasgow.

“Reducing administrative complexity in health care is critical to improving access and efficiency,” said Neil Thornbury, CEO of T.J. Regional Health. “This is a meaningful step forward for patients and providers alike.”

Thornbury said simplifying prior authorization allows clinicians and staff to spend less time on paperwork and more time at the bedside.

UnitedHealthcare officials say the expanded program will also speed payments by up to 50% for roughly 1,500 rural hospitals nationwide and exempt many rural providers from prior authorization requirements across multiple lines of business.

The company also plans to launch new “hub-and-spoke” partnerships intended to bring more services directly into rural communities.

With Kentucky now joining the initiative alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, and West Virginia, officials say the expansion is intended to stabilize rural health systems that have faced increasing financial pressure in recent years.

UnitedHealthcare said it is immediately beginning to issue accelerated payments to independent rural hospitals in Kentucky following the announcement.

The company is a division of UnitedHealth Group and operates health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.