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NEED TO KNOW
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Vermont Legislature Hits the Ground Running – Contact House Health Care on Recording Telehealth Visits Today!
Unlike the lackadaisical start of some legislative sessions, lawmakers across the Statehouse started off the 2026 session by getting right to work. The House Health Care Committee is holding hearings today and tomorrow on H.84. a bill allowing patients to consent to the recording of telehealth appointments. One option this will allow is the use of transcription services during telehealth appointments. See the VMS fact sheet on the bill here. Please email the Committee TODAY to let them know how this bill would help reduce administrative burden and allow you to focus on your patients not documentation. The Committee may vote on the bill as soon as tomorrow. Please email these lawmakers: ablack@leg.state.vt.us; fmcfaun@leg.state.vt.us; dberbeco@leg.state.vt.us; bcina@leg.state.vt.us; valorie.taylor@vtleg.gov; wcritchlow@leg.state.vt.us; ademar@leg.state.vt.us; lgoldman@leg.state.vt.us; lhoughton@leg.state.vt.us; klueders@leg.state.vt.us; dpowers@leg.state.vt.us; tasha.kleppner@vtleg.gov
Last week, multiple committees focused on the issue of health care affordability. Several committees took testimony on the potential impacts of the federal H.R.1 bill that changes Medicaid eligibility and funding; on the opportunities and potential pitfalls of the Rural Health Transformation Grant program;and on the Hospital Transformation process. The Green Mountain Care Board gave an update on the reference-based pricing policy that was passed last year and the path forward. Blue Cross Blue Shield said, based on 3rd quarter estimates, they are moving towards solvency and the Department of Financial Regulation testified, "You cannot meaningfully control the health care costs by cutting insurance rates - if you do not control the cost of care.”
The Vermont Medical Society started off the first day of the legislative session with Deputy Director Stephanie Winters testifying in support of H.545, a bill allowing Vermont to determine our immunization policies without relying on federal policy. This bill will be taken up in three House committees this week, including Health Care, Human Services and Judiciary. Both the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and the House Health Care Committee have added two new members, with Senator Morley, R-Orleans and Senator Benson, R-Orange, being sworn in on the first day of the session. Val Taylor, R-Rutland 11, and Karen Lueders, D-Lincoln, both became new Representatives in the House Health Care Committee.
Registration is still open for VMS and specialty society 2026 legislative breakfasts to meet your lawmakers and advocate for meaningful health policy change. See the dates and register here. |
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Open VMS Survey: State Law Change Regarding PAs and APRNs as Admitting/Attending Clinician
All VMS members should have received an email via SurveyMonkey to provide feedback regarding a proposed change to Vermont statute recognizing APRNs and PAs as being able to serve as the clinician of record for hospitalized patients. You will have received a unique link that you can use to complete the survey. The VMS Board discussed the issue at their meeting on November 12 and requested input from the full VMS membership. The survey will be open until January 30th and the VMS Board will review member feedback at their February 4th meeting. If you did not receive the SurveyMonkey email or have any difficulty completing the survey, contact Birdie Pauley at bpauley@vtmd.org. If you have questions about the policy change, please contact Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org. |
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Friday Jan. 16 - Public meeting to Discuss an Updated Workers' Compensation Medical Fee Schedule
On Friday January 16, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. till 12:00 noon, the Vermont Department of Labor (DOL) will host a meeting to discuss an updated workers’ compensation medical fee schedule. Over the course of 2025, the Vermont Department of Labor has been working with its vendor, FAIR Health, to craft a new, more robust fee schedule that will include far more CPT and HCPCS codes than the current fee schedule, which was last updated in 2006. FAIR Health has successfully helped numerous other states craft their workers’ compensation fee schedules. There will be technical representatives on hand to explain the methodology used and to answer any questions you may have.
DOL’s intention is to solicit feedback from stakeholders prior to filing a proposed fee schedule with the Secretary of State. DOL wants to move forward with a proposed administrative rule that has broad support from stakeholders in the health care community. To that end, your participation is welcome. Please share this message with other interested parties.
The meeting will be in-person at 5 Green Mountain Drive, Montpelier, and virtually via Microsoft Teams, at the link below:
WC Medical Fee Schedule Discussion
Meeting ID: 222 521 166 038 97
Passcode: oo36W6N2
________________________________________
Dial in by phone
+1 802-828-7667,,168762152# United States, Montpelier
Phone conference ID: 168 762 152#
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MISC.
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Join Senator Bernie Sanders and Dr. Stephen Leffler, CEO of UVM Health, on Vermont’s Health Care Crisis – 1/23, 6:00 p.m
Join Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on Friday, January 23 at 6pm for a town meeting with Dr. Stephen Leffler, the new CEO of University of Vermont (UVM) Health. In his role, Dr. Leffler is responsible for leading the largest health care institution in the state, which includes UVM Medical Center, Porter Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, and UVM Home Health and Hospice as well as three hospitals in Upstate New York. Together, Dr. Leffler and Senator Sanders will discuss how we improve our broken health care system, expanding access and lowering costs. We look forward to taking your questions.
Where: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 152 Pearl Street, Burlington, VT 05401
RSVP: Space is limited. RSVP here by January 19 to reserve your spot |
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Request for Expert Nominations for Medicare Carrier Meeting on GERD Procedures
Vermont’s Medicare Contractor (National Government Services/NGS) has reached out to identify subject matter experts in gastroenterology and bariatric surgery to participate in an upcoming Clinical Advisory Committee meeting, scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET.
Specifically, NGS is seeking experts who specialize in the treatment of GERD and who can provide a comprehensive overview of minimally invasive GERD procedures, including Lower Esophageal Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation (LINX), endoscopic full thickness plication (GERDX), and other relevant interventions. The goal of this discussion is to review recent advancements in these procedures and their implications for patient outcomes.
Expert input must focus on interpretation of the available evidence in accordance with CMS requirements. NGS will provide a list of pertinent articles to review 50 days prior to the meeting. The meeting will be open to the public, and transcript and audio will be publicly available after the meeting. Only the panelist will have speaking privileges during the meeting. NGS aims for 6-8 experts from across the NGS jurisdiction and for a CV for all nominations to create the most balanced panel possible. Please indicate interest to Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org by January 28th. |
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A Message from Pinnacle Wealth to VMS Members Pinnacle Wealth has been a longstanding sponsor of the Vermont Medical Society Annual Meeting, and PFA joined Pinnacle Wealth as a sponsoring partner at the November meeting. As part of their ongoing partnership with VMS, they will be offering a series of educational webinars for members in 2026.
Advisor Capabilities Webinar – January 20, 2026
Pinnacle Wealth and PFA will host a live Advisor Capabilities webinar on Monday, January 20, with sessions offered at 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Grounded in two influential works by Dr. Wade Pfau—How Much Can I Spend in Retirement? and Safety-First Retirement Planning—the session will highlight a coordinated approach to wealth accumulation, retirement planning, cash flow, tax mitigation, estate planning, and related planning considerations for physicians.
Registration:
Additional 2026 Educational Programming
Pinnacle Wealth and PFA also plan to host three additional webinars in February, May, and October. Topics for these sessions are currently being developed and will be informed by member feedback.
VMS members are invited to complete a brief survey to share topics of interest:
Further details on future webinars will be shared in upcoming VMS communications.
This programming is offered as part of VMS’s ongoing educational partnership with Pinnacle Wealth and PFA. |
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Webinar Jan. 29, 6:30 pm: Navigating the MultiPlan Litigation - What Physician Practices and Facilities Need to Know
A sweeping federal antitrust lawsuit is moving forward against MultiPlan, Inc. and several major insurers, including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealth and Blue Cross Blue Shield, alleging a price-fixing conspiracy that artificially suppressed out-of-network payment rates and cost providers billions of dollars. Following a key court ruling in June, the case is headed into discovery, with potential damages tripled under federal law for successful claims.
Join the Vermont Medical Society for a webinar January 29th at 6:30pm on what this case means for practitioners and facilities nationwide. Matt Lavin, AGG Healthcare Litigation partner and member of the Executive Committee for direct-action plaintiffs, will walk through the litigation’s origins, key legal developments and strategies for affected providers to consider. He will also explain why now it is important to evaluate your potential participation in the case and to support industry reform.
The session will conclude with a Q&A - and open discussion is welcome and appreciated. All participant information will be kept private.
Preregister here. This webinar is only open to VMS members. Once your VMS membership is confirmed we will email a Go To Webinar link to join the meeting. Please do not share the link with others. |
EVENTS
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2026 Hospital Medicine Conference
February 4-6, 2026 Topnotch Resort, Stowe, VT
This conference will focus on key clinical advancements and guidelines to ensure optimal patient care. The target audience is comprised of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and nurses practicing in hospital medicine. We also encourage hospital medicine program administrators, resident physicians, and medical students with an interest in careers in hospital medicine.
Please visit the conference website the agenda and registration link here. |
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New England History of Medicine Society - Jim Crow & the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the American South
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2026 at 7pm (eastern) via Zoom
There is a complicated history of racism and psychiatric healthcare in the Deep South states. Kylie M. Smith mixes exhaustive archival research, interviews, and policy analysis to offer a comprehensive look at how racism affected Black Southerners with mental illness during the Jim Crow era.
Kylie Smith is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Healthcare History and Policy in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Associate Faculty in the History Department, at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her new book entitled “Jim Crow in the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the American South” has just been published. Register here.
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AlpTerra Wilderness Medicine Course
March 5–9, March 12–16, October 1–5, October 8–12, 2026
Franconia, New Hampshire
Join Alpterra for an immersive, hands-on wilderness medicine course designed to prepare you for real-life scenarios in the outdoors. Treat mock injuries, problem-solve in the elements, and walk away with practical skills that stick.
- Max 4:1 participant-to-instructor ratio for highly personalized, discussion-driven learning.
- Accredited for up to 16 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ — an excellent use of your CME allowance.
- Stay on-site in a luxury home-style setting. Enjoy locally sourced, family-style meals tailored to dietary needs.
- Add-on trips let you ski, climb, or explore the White Mountains with expert guides before or after your course.
Learn more about the agenda and registration here. |
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For more information about offerings from UVM
CMIE, visit here. |
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Vermont Medical Society PO Box 153 Williamstown, VT 05679 -- Unsubscribe -- |
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