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NEED TO KNOW
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Vermont Signs AHEAD Model Agreement – with Caveats and 2027 Launch
As covered in the media, last Friday, the Green Mountain Care Board voted 3-1 (with one member abstaining) in favor of signing the State Agreement affirming Vermont’s participation in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model. All three State signatories (the Governor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Chair of the Green Mountain Board) as well as the signatory authority for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation have now signed the agreement and it is fully executed. The GMCB vote came with significant conditions, including that Chair Owen Foster and member David Murman can automatically exercise a termination clause without further GMCB deliberation or vote if: the Board does not receive legislative appropriations to add 5-10 FTE by September 30, 2025 and 20 FTE by July 1, 2026; the Board’s regulatory duties are modified in any “unacceptable manner;” or a hospital that is directly or indirectly supporting any non-Vermont based hospitals enters the Model. At this time, it is unclear if these conditions can be met or how likely this means the state will move forward with actually entering the Model in 2027.
The agreement has the potential to bring in an additional $150 million in flexible Medicare funds to address Vermont’s health system needs and protects the State’s existing Medicare contributions to the Blueprint for Health and Support and Services at Home (SASH). However, the State has opted to participate in Cohort 2 – effective January 1, 2027. This will mean even if the State continues to move forward with the Model, there will be a gap year in Medicare investment in Blueprint programs and primary care support payments, as well as a requirement that practices that were exempt from MIPS reporting due to participating in OneCare Vermont participate in MIPS reporting in 2026. John Saroyan, Executive Director of the Blueprint for Health, communicated today that the Blueprint and AHS are actively working with state partners to fill this gap. The Blueprint will keep partners as up to date as possible on developments for funding the gap year and preparing MIPS-eligible practices for reporting in 2026. VMS is watching these developments closely and will also communicate any updates. Please reach out to Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org with questions. |
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Treasurer Pieciak Announces Medical Debt Relief Proposal
At a press conference today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak announced a 2025 legislative proposal to provide medical debt relief to thousands of Vermonters. The proposal would eliminate approximately $100 million in medical debt with a one-time reapportioning of $1 million of a previously appropriated $20 million to purchase of outstanding state bonds. The announcement states that the impact of retiring over $100 million in medical debt will have a more significant, direct and ongoing financial benefit to Vermonters than an approximate one-time interest savings of approximately $49,000 gained by retiring $1 million in outstanding bonds.
Using state appropriated funds, the Treasurer proposes to partner with a nonprofit organization to buy the medical debt of eligible debtors at fair market value (typically cents on the dollar) and then abolish the debt at no cost or tax consequence to the debtor. Any adverse information resulting from the medical debt is then removed by the provider or collections agency from a consumer credit report.
The detailed proposal can be found here and information about the progress of this legislation will be included on this page as it becomes available. |
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Green Mountain Care Board Member Vacancy
With Green Mountain Care Board Member Robin Lunge’s announcement that she will be stepping down from the Board effective in April, there is an opening on the 5-member regulatory body that oversees Vermont’s hospital and ACO budgets, insurance rates and capital projects requiring certificates of need. The Vermont Medical Society has long advocated for clinicians to serve on the Board and encourages practicing health care professionals to consider applying. Applications are being accepted through January 31, 2025. More information is available here and members can also contact Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org for more information. |
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MISC.
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Trump Administration Appointees Continue Vetting Process
While a number of President Donald Trump’s nominees for agency heads have been confirmed, others, including Robert F. Kennedy for HHS, continue to be reviewed and receive skepticism from both sides of the political aisle. Several nationwide petitions by health professionals have been submitted in opposition to Kennedy. In November, VMS and a number of state specialty societies released a statement urging the US Senate to prioritize nominees who value evidence-based science, support medical and scientific advancement, and refute disproven and dangerous conspiracy theories. The statement also calls on reviewing candidates for their support of established VMS policies such as ensuring a robust evidence-based public health system; supporting universal access to comprehensive, affordable, high-quality health care; and supporting access to vaccines, gender affirming healthcare and reproductive health care. Read the VMS and specialty society statement here.
Vermonters wanting to weigh in on the appointments, should contact Senator Sanders at: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/ and Welch at: https://www.welch.senate.gov/email-peter/#email-peter. To track Senate hearings to consider nominations, visit the Senate Finance Committee webpage and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee webpage.
For an update on health care-related executive orders issued by President Trump since yesterday – impacting issues ranging from artificial intelligence to gender discrimination to coverage under the Affordable Care Act - see coverage by Politico and STAT News. |
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2025 Loan Repayment Program Application Open
The 2025 Vermont Educational Loan Repayment (Recruitment/Retention) Program for Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, & Physician Assistants application is now available. The 2025 application deadline is Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
The application and additional information can be found here. |
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Clinician Wellbeing Workshops Available at No Cost for 2025
VMS is pleased to continue our partnership with Doug Wysockey-Johnson of Lumunos Clinician Well-Being Services to provide up to 9 practices/medical staffs no-cost clinician wellbeing workshops over 2025.
Lumunos Clinician Well-Being Workshops are designed to support clinicians in meeting the demands of modern health care. Workshops are built around Lumunos’ daily experience working with physicians, nurses, APPs and clinical leaders across the country. These meetings are designed to be efficient, effective and interactive, with topics that directly address the biggest challenges clinicians face daily. Workshops are led by Doug Wysockey-Johnson, Workplace Program Facilitator of Lumunos, a seasoned facilitator with 20 years of experience leading clinician groups
New topics available for 2025 include: Creating a Positive Team Culture; Work/Home Boundaries; Hope; and Compassion (Fatigue). Click here for more details and to see the full list of available topics. Doug is also partnering with VMS for the first time in 2025 to offer no cost coaching sessions to a select number of VMS members. Read more here. Contact Jessa at jbarnard@vtmd.org or Doug at doug@lumunos.org with additional questions or to book a workshop or coaching session. |
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Next Commissioner Call, February 6, 2025
The Commissioner of Health, Mark Levine, MD, will hold his next Public Health Update with VMS Members this Thursday, February 6th at 12:30 pm. You can join the zoom meetings here.
He held his most recent VMS member call on January 2nd. Notes from the call are here. |
EVENTS
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Contemporary Issues in Health Care Ethics: A 4 Part Series
January 2025, 12pm - 1:15pm
Incapacitated Refusals & Vermont's Ulysses Clause January 30th - Register here
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42nd PAAV Annual Winter CME Conference
January 30th - February 2nd, 2025
The annual winter PA Academy of Vermont Conference is at Stoweflake in Stowe, VT 1/30/25 -2/2/25
Please come join the fun and get CME too!
VMS President, Dr. Katie Marvin speaking on Saturday!
The early bird rate is extended through 12/13/24. (save $100)
Learn more and register here.
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Learning Collaboratives on In-Basket Reduction and Reducing Regulatory Burden
October 2024 – March 2025
AMA STEPS Forward® Innovation Academy is launching two new, six-month learning collaboratives on optimizing the in-basket to reduce work burden and rethinking how organizations apply regulatory rules to clinical practice. Each collaborative will convene dyads or triads of leadership representatives from multiple organizations to engage in a longitudinal shared learning experience. Limited space available. Learn more.
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For more information about offerings from UVM
CMIE, visit here. |
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Vermont Medical Society 134 Main Street Montpelier, VT 05602 -- Unsubscribe -- |
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