Join VMS on February 11th for our 2021 Virtual Advocacy Training
Are you passionate about health care policy issues? Fired up about public health? Are you curious about how you craft a successful advocacy message? Please join us Thursday, February 11th from 4-6pm for our 2021 Virtual Advocacy Training. We will start by hearing from these Vermont legislative leaders, who will give us insight on what makes an effective legislative message:
Attend member-led breakouts in which you will craft and practice delivering your own message on one of these three VMS policy priorities:
- Access to Reproductive Health - w/Lauren MacAfee, M.D.
- Injury Prevention - w/Becca Bell, M.D.
- Mental Health - w/Simha Ravven, M.D.
Click here to learn more about this event where your colleagues will share simple tools to help you craft cogent, effective communication strategies. Click here for the 2021 VMS Advocacy Toolkit for the training curriculum.
_________________________________________________________________________
Action Alert: Ask the Legislature to Continue Reimbursement for Phone-Only Medical Services
During the COVID-19 state of emergency, the Department of Financial Regulation has required that Vermont insurers reimburse for nearly all medical services delivered with audio-visual telehealth and audio-only telephone. The House Health Care Committee is currently discussing whether to require insurance companies to continue to reimburse for phone-only medical services beyond the period of the emergency. A number of medical professionals and organizations testified in favor of this proposal last week. Your voice is now needed to stress the importance of insurance coverage for this lifeline to services. Please contact members of the House Health Care Committee today to share stories of how being able to provide care via telephone will continue to be needed after the pandemic. Other themes to share with Committee members include:
- Equity (we know that older, minority and lower socio-economic status individuals are most at risk for lacking broadband or the technology to connect with video)
- Patient preference (some patients prefer to connect without video)
- Reimbursement continuing at the same rate with in-person services (it can take the same if not more effort, time, staffing to serve patients via telehealth)
- Standard of care (the same standard of care applies regardless of the modality and clinicians have the skills to screen patient to see if they can address an issue via phone vs in-person)
House Health Care Committee members’ email addresses are: wlippert@leg.state.vt.us; adonahue@leg.state.vt.us; LHoughton@leg.state.vt.us; ablack@leg.state.vt.us; eburrows@leg.state.vt.us; bcina@leg.state.vt.us mcordes@leg.state.vt.us; lgoldman@leg.state.vt.us; elong@leg.state.vt.us; wpage@leg.state.vt.us; apeterson@leg.state.vt.us
Contact Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org with any questions or concerns.
__________________________________________________________________________
Governor's COVID-19 Vaccination Update Providing Cautious Optimism
Governor
Scott announced positive developments during today's press conference, as the
Biden Administration is going to increase the State's COVID-19 vaccine
allotment by another 5 percent, which means that the State will receive roughly
22% more vaccine over the next 3 weeks than recently received. The federal
government also promised to provide Vermont with the specific syringes
necessary to get the extra dose out of the Pfizer vaccine vials and retroactive
100 percent reimbursement for FEMA operations, which could mean that millions
of dollars come back to Vermont. The federal government will also be
directly providing approximately 10% more vaccine to Vermont pharmacies to be
utilized in Vermont over the next few weeks. Vermont has currently vaccinated approximately
10 percent of our entire population, with 35,000 Vermonters receiving a first
dose and 19,000 receiving their second dose. Approximately 34,000 Vermonters in
the 75+ age band have registered for their vaccine, with 14% of this age band
receiving their first dose. AHS Secretary Mike Smith announced that they are
opening more vaccination sites across the State, with the goal of everyone
having one within 30 minutes of their home. VDH Commissioner Mark Levine and
Secretary Smith said 37 of the skilled nursing homes are almost
entirely vaccinated, and high percentages of the residents at residential and
assisted living facilities. AHS is also working with the CDC and CMS on
guidance to open up shared dining and visitation opportunities for people at
long-term care facilities. All Vermonters in the 75+ age band are encouraged to
register for their COVID vaccine today. Patients should go to this website to
register.
_________________________________________________________________________
COVID 19 Vaccine Registration: Screening Questions and Primary Care Concerns
Blood Thinner and Vaccination Registration – VMS
heard from many members with concerns regarding the question about blood
thinners on the registration form, which directed patients to discuss concerns
with their primary care practitioners (PCPs). As blood thinners are not a
contraindication for vaccine administration, this direction was causing undue
call volume to PCPs. After discussions with VDH, VMS learned that questions
regarding blood thinners will no longer be included in the registration system
at all, but each patient will be asked whether they are on blood thinners at the
vaccination sites using the CDC vaccination checklist.
Registering for Vaccine without Email / Care Coordinator
Registration of Patients - Currently, the only way for
Vermonters over 75 yrs old who do not have an email address to register for
their COVID-19 vaccination is to call 855-722-7878. If a patient without an
email address has a family member or friend who can add them as a dependent,
they can be registered that way. VMS will continue to work with VDH to think
about ways to allow care coordinators to help register people without email
addresses but for now the process is to register patients through the phone
line listed above.
_________________________________________________________________
VMS Thursday Call to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reactions
Please join VMS this Thursday, February 4th at 12:30 pm for a discussion on how best to advise patients with a history of an allergic reaction to vaccines, who are currently not able to register for a COVID vaccine and to learn more about the higher rates of axillary adenopathy being reported after the administration of COVID-19 vaccines. We will hear from:
- Dr. Elizabeth Jaffe, M.D., Allergy and Immunology Specialist at Timberlane Allergy and Asthma Clinic; and
- Dr. Sally Herschorn, M.D., Radiologist and Co-Division Chief and Medical Director Breast Imaging at UVMMC.
This discussion will occur during our regularly scheduled call with Commissioner Levine who is unavailable this Thursday. Please click below to attend the ZOOM meeting:
Join Zoom Meeting -https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86726253105?pwd=VkVuNTJ1ZFQ2R3diSVdqdlJ2ZG4yQT09
Meeting ID: 867 2625 3105 / Password: 540684
Dial In: 1 646 876 9923 / Meeting ID: 867 2625 3105 / Password: 540684
_________________________________________________________________
VDH Publishes Screening Policy for Health Care Workers in Phase 1A
Monday,
February 1st, 2021 the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) published guidance, providing the latest screening criteria to
determine which health care clinicians are eligible to qualify for the Phase 1A
COVID-19 vaccination group. If a patient is not eligible based on the screening
questions outlined in the guidance, they will need to wait for a new phase of
the vaccine rollout in which they meet eligibility criteria. If you are a
1A-qualified individual please contact your hospital to schedule your vaccine
now.
Other hospitals – contact Elizabeth Alessi at the Vermont Medical Society for contact information: ealessi@vtmd.org.
_________________________________________________________________
Recent COVID-19 Guidance and Resources:
VMS Weekly Zoom with Commissioner of Health, Thursdays at 12:30 pm
_________________________________________________________________
Legislature Begins Tackling a Myriad of VMS Priorities
With almost a month of meeting remotely, the Vermont Legislature has begun to take action on 2021 legislation. Last week, three VMS members testified during two different Committee hearings. VMS Vice-President Ryan Sexton, M.D., Emergency Physician at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, testified in the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of S.30, a bill that would prohibit the possession of firearms in hospitals, childcare centers and government buildings. Joe Lasek, MD, and Elizabeth Hunt, M.D., testified in the House Health Care Committee in support of equitable reimbursement for audio-only telehealth coverage (please see action alert above). This week the VMS Executive Director will testify in a joint hearing of the Senate Health and Welfare and House Health Care Committees on extending COVID-19 emergency regulatory flexibilities until March 2022. The following week we expect hearings on S.24, the flavored tobacco ban bill, and S.3, the forensic mental health bill.
.png)
