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It's Tuesday, September 22.
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Join VMS in Stowe on
Nov. 13 and 14
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The Annual Meeting at Topnotch Resort in Stowe will bring together some of the most influential voices in health care in Vermont to discuss salient issues, including:
- Tackling health care affordability with Beth Roberts of BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont, Owen Foster of the Green Mountain Care Board, John Saroyan, MD, with the Vermont Blueprint for Health, and Sarah Nosal, MD, of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
- Wellness-centered leadership with Sarah Davies, MD, of UVM Health
- Immigration enforcement in health care with Jill Martin Diaz, of the VT Asylum Assistance Project
- Psychedelics facts vs hype with Mark McGee, MD, of Alpine Telehealth
- Private equity regulation with Jessa Barnard, Vermont Medical Society
- Social media engagement for clinicians with Tracy Tyson, MD, of the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter
Childcare will be offered both days to members who sign up before October 1. And we're partnering with The Renita Marshall Helping Hands Foundation to collect unopened toiletries for families and children facing temporary and unexpected financial hardships. See more details and register by Oct. 30. We can’t wait to see you there!
✍️ Share Your Comments on the Blueprint for Health Primary Care Transformation Plan: The Blueprint released an Appendix to the Blueprint Implementation Manual and a draft Practice Attestation Form that describe practice requirements and the funding model for how increased Patient Centered Medical Home payments will be distributed, starting in 2027. Here’s an overview of the changes:
- In the first six months of 2027 (Year 1), practices will receive base payments of $9.25 per member per month for commercial, Medicaid and Medicare attributed patients. For the second six months of the year, they’ll receive $6.75 per member per month.
- Performance payments remain the same, up to $.50 per member per month.
- For years 2-5 (2028-2031), there’s a proposal to shift more payments towards performance and outcome measures. See the appendix for more details.
The funding for the increased payments comes from two places: Act 173, where the legislature directed commercial payers to increase practice contributions to $4.65 starting in 2027, and Rural Health Transformation dollars.
These payments are separate from Community Health Team (CHT) dollars, also being rolled out for 2027, with the goal of more standardization of staffing models while still allowing flexibility for practices. Mental Health Integration/Gap Closure grants are also going out through January to fund the program. More details from the Blueprint Executive Committee and Payment Implementation Workgroup, as well as meetings of the Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care. Please share comments by Monday, Oct. 5th with swinters@vtmd.org.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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📃 Vermont Board of Medical Practice Relicensure/ CME Tips and Tricks: All Vermont-licensed physicians must apply to renew their license with the Vermont Board of Medical Practice by Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. The Board of Medical Practice has switched to a new IT system. VMS and the Board are aware of concerns regarding navigating the new system and entering information such as CME data. To assist in the process the Board has posted instructions and renewal CME tips and tricks. These have also been sent as emails to all licensees but may be caught in spam filters.
🎉 Legislative Receptions : Thank you to everyone who attended a candidate reception earlier this month. We still have several more events over the next few weeks. Sign up to attend for a chance to speak with candidates in an informal setting, catch up with colleagues, and enjoy free food:
💰 Vermont Educational Loan
Repayment Program: The Larner College of Medicine is
offering loan repayments of up to $37,500 per year for Vermont residents
working in certain outpatient and inpatient settings. Eligible specialties
include family medicine, general internal medicine/adult primary care,
pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, geriatrics, and psychiatry. Learn more and apply
here by Friday, Oct. 16.
🧑🎓 Two New Family Medicine Residency Programs: The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems held their
annual meeting last week at Jay Peak Resort. Hospital, physician and
health care leaders from around the state gathered to discuss quality
improvement to workforce, development, crisis management, and more. The leaders
of family medicine residency programs in development at Maple Mountain Vermont and Southern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) in Bennington spoke
about the importance in fostering the next generation of Vermont’s family
medicine practitioners and faculty. Maple Mountain is open for applications and
plans to launch its first class in summer of 2027. |
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Pictured above, Jessa Barnard, VMS Executive Director, facilitated a panel with speakers Daniel Blaney-Koen of the American Medical Association and Sarah Emery of NVRH regarding the importance of removing stigmatizing questions about mental health history from hospital credentialing applications. Interested medical staffs can learn more at the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation Wellbeing First Champion webpage.
📔One-on-One Sessions Reviewing Management of Heart Failure and More: The University of Vermont’s Office of Primary Care’s Academic Detailing Program offers courses for the latest evidence on a variety of primary care topics including management of heart failure, migraines, obesity, type 2 diabetes, opioids, updates in HIV PrEP, Hepatitis C, and more. Sign up online or contact Alicia.Poquette@med.uvm.edu to schedule small group sessions (in person or virtual). This program is free and each topic offers one hour of CME credit. |
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EVENTS
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Rally for Public Health at UVMMC:
Thursday, Sept. 24 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. | Burlington, VT
Larner medical students and colleagues have organized a rally outside of the UVM Medical Center to stand against the cuts to healthcare, public health, and science-based policy. The event will be held with representatives from Defend Public Health, Physicians for a National Health Plan, Healthcare Worker Unions, and other health advocacy organizations. More information here.
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Health Equity Summit
Thursday, Sept. 24 - Friday, Sept. 25 | Burlington, VT
The Health Equity Summit is a collaborative space for health care professionals, community leaders, researchers, and advocates to build partnerships in pursuit of a more just and equitable future. Free to attend. Click here for more information.
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Neurobiology of Trauma and SUD
Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 12 - 2 p.m. | Virtual
This session uses findings from addiction and trauma
research to highlight how substance use disorders and exposure to traumatic
stressors can produce neurobiological changes that influence behavior and
contribute to overlapping clinical needs in recovery. Learn more and
register. |
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ACP Vermont Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting Friday, Oct. 9 | Stowe, VT The Vermont ACP Chapter's Annual Scientific Meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026. We will again host a poster competition for resident and student members. Please visit the Meeting Hub for registration and agenda. |
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Champ's Sono Camp: Multidisciplinary POCUS Conference
Saturday, Oct. 17 – Sunday, Oct. 18 | Burlington, VT
Hosted by the UVM Departments of Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine, this course teaches Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), one of the biggest recent advances in clinical medicine, shown to improve diagnostic accuracy, patient throughput, procedural safety, and patient satisfaction. While most medical schools and residency programs have adopted POCUS into their curricula, this course is an opportunity for practicing clinicians to improve their skills. Register here. |
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2026 Collaborative Meeting
Nov. 13 - 14 | Stowe, VT
The 2026 Collaborative Meeting is taking place at Topnotch Resort in Stowe. Meet your colleagues and hear timely updates from health care leaders. See the full agenda and register here. |
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2026 Obesity Medicine & Weight Management Conference Tuesday, Nov. 17 | South Burlington
This conference is designed to improve the skills of the primary care healthcare team as they navigate new treatments in obesity medicine and weight management. Sessions will provide practical and updated strategies for assessment and treatment. A wide spectrum of diagnostic, management, and treatment options will be presented. More details and registration here. |
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For more information about offerings from UVM Continuing Medical and Interprofessional Education, visit this link.
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Vermont Medical Society PO Box 153 Williamstown, VT 05679 -- Unsubscribe -- |
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