Rural Health Transformation Fund monies; require certain recipients of to be subject to competitive bidding process.

Added priority criteria requiring that grant funds go to applicants located in super-rural zip codes, specific underserved counties, the Delta Public Health Region, and areas outside metropolitan statistical areas.

Added a priority rule ensuring medical equipment grants go to providers who have not received direct state or federal capital funding in the past three years.

Added comprehensive requirements for a state health information exchange, including real-time data sharing, interoperability standards, security protocols, and a mechanism for patients to opt out of data participation.

Added a preference for selecting vendors with prior experience providing real-time bidirectional admission and discharge data to Mississippi healthcare providers.

Removed the requirement that vendors for general goods and services under the Rural Health Transformation Program must undergo a competitive bidding process, replacing it with the new priority-based selection criteria.

Added an exemption for records transmitted to or from the health information exchange from the Mississippi Public Records Act, while simultaneously requiring all other Rural Health Transformation contracts to be governed by that Act.

Modified the effective date provision to remove the repeal clause that was present in the previous version.