January 27, 2026

NEED TO KNOW

Legislators Moving at Hyperspeed, In Only the Fourth Week of the Legislative Session

Last week the House passed H.545, the bill to allow the Vermont Commissioner of Health to develop Vermont-specific immunization recommendations, by a vote of 127-9. The bill advances to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, where the first hearing will occur this Friday morning. Stephanie Winters, Deputy Director of the Vermont Medical Society and Tracy Tyson, MD, pediatrician from St. Albans, will both provide testimony in support of the bill. Last week, Stephanie also provided testimony on H. 237, a bill seeking to expand the scope of practice for doctoral-level psychologists to prescribe (action alert below). This week, the House Health Care Committee is resuming their work on H.583, a bill that aims to limit the role of private equity in health care in Vermont and Jessa Barnard, Executive Director of the Vermont Medical Society provided testimony this Tuesday afternoon. VMS will also be providing testimony on H.585, a health insurance bill seeking to roll back primary care prior authorization exemptions except for independent practices, on Wednesday of this week. 

Calling all primary care clinicians! The Senate Health and Welfare Committee will be hearing testimony on S.197, a bill to direct Vermont to invest more in primary care and develop a capitated primary care payment program. Please provide comments regarding the need to support Vermont’s primary care system by filling out a very short survey - so we can share your comments in our advocacy for this bill. 

Scope of Practice Issues Heat Up in the State House – Please take Action

S.64 Hearings This Friday and Next Wednesday – to Allow Optometrists to Perform Surgery

S.64 is on the agenda in Senate Health and Welfare this this Friday, when they will hear from optometrists, who will argue that they already have appropriate training to do “minor” surgical procedures. They also claim that optometric scope expansion will reduce patient costs, reduce travel burden and reduce referrals. On Wednesday of next week, February 4th, ophthalmology will get a hearing to present why this is not safe for patient care:

• There is a meaningful difference between ophthalmologists and optometrists (physician surgeons who attend medical school and then at least four years of training in surgery/advanced medicine vs. 4 years of optometry school with training in primary eye care, no required post grad education and no standardized surgical training)
• Patient safety is at risk by allowing optometrists with no standardized surgical training to perform laser/scalpel surgery around/on/in the eye.
• Access - we have skilled ophthalmologists across the state who currently available to take care of Vermonters’ eye surgical needs. The wait list for routine eye exams with optometrists is already months’ long.

NOW is the time to for everyone to reach out to Senate Health & Welfare Committee members to introduce yourself and tell them why optometric scope expansion isn’t good for patients. Email the committee here: vlyons@leg.state.vt.us; mgulick@leg.state.vt.us; acummings@leg.state.vt.us; John.Morley@vtleg.gov; john.benson@vtleg.gov; Calysta.Koppenhaver@vtleg.gov

Here is the Vermont Ophthalmological Safe Surgery website that you can use for reference (and give out) - - https://safevisionvt.org/. 

H.237, An Act Relating to Psychologist Prescribing Receives Senate Hearing

This bill, which would allow psychologists with additional training to prescribe medications, passed the House last year and received one hearing in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, but they did not take action last year.  With two new committee members this year, they are allowing limited testimony again to inform all committee members about the proposal.  VMS and the Vermont Psychiatric Association testified last week with concerns, including that this will not meaningfully increase access to services and that there are more effective ways to increase access to evidence-based prescribing. 

Because of our advocacy last year, the bill does not include a number of extremely important safeguards.  In the current draft, the bill requires that a psychologist seeking prescribing authority:

• Complete a postdoctoral training program in psychopharmacology (we have asked for rulemaking authority to set stronger parameters on this as well);
• Complete at least 18-months of clinical rotations in not less than 5 practice settings, to include psychiatry, geriatrics, family medicine/internal medicine, emergency medicine, and neurology, with details of acceptable practice settings to be specified in rulemaking by OPR.
• Have a collaborative practice agreement with an MD or DO who specializes in psychiatry;
• Not prescribe for patients under 18 years of age, over 80 years of age, or who are pregnant;
• Be limited from prescribing specific drugs or for specific conditions, to be specified in rulemaking by OPR.

Estimates are that this would add 1-5 potential psychologists in 5-10 years with an implementation start of 2028.

Please reach out to Senate Health and Welfare Committee members with comments: vlyons@leg.state.vt.us; mgulick@leg.state.vt.us; acummings@leg.state.vt.us; John.Morley@vtleg.gov; john.benson@vtleg.gov; Calysta.Koppenhaver@vtleg.gov

Oppose Proposed State Cuts to Primary Care Loan Repayment, Physician Placement Programs

Governor Phil Scott and his agencies are now presenting their agency budgets to the legislature, and the proposed Vermont Department of Health budget includes significant cuts to key primary care workforce programs run by the UVM Area Health Education Centers (AHEC).  The proposal includes:

Eliminating the state-based AHEC loan repayment program

Eliminating AHEC Network Funding

Eliminating physician placement services

Please contact the House Human Services Committee and House Appropriations Committees urging them that now is not the time to cut health care workforce development programs!  Email the committees here:

H.Human Services

Update on Vermont’s Rural Healthcare Transformation (RHT) Program Award – Listening Session Feb. 2

On Monday, December 29^th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notified the State of Vermont that our Rural Healthcare Transformation (RHT) Program application was accepted and that the State will receive an award of $195,053,740 in Federal Fiscal Year 2026. This award – and any potential awards for future years of the five-year Program – and its specific budget allocations remain subject to negotiation with CMS.

Vermont’s Agency of Human Services (AHS) is hosting an open provider and community partner listening session for discussion on Monday, February 2 at 1pm. To register for the session and submit any questions you may have, please click here.

AHS understands that there are many outstanding questions regarding when, how, and to whom these funds will be distributed.  Currently, AHS is focused on two immediate next steps: 1) completing negotiations with CMS and executing the legal funding agreement; 2) establishing a back-end system and process for the management and administration of the many grants and initiatives included in Vermont’s application.

AHS does not yet have any RHT Program funding in-hand for distribution and, in partnership with other relevant state agencies and the Governor’s Office, plans to do ample stakeholder engagement with health care organizations and members beginning in early 2026 as we begin implementation in earnest. We ask for your patience as we first solidify the administrative foundation of Vermont’s RHT Program.  If you are interested in joining the RHT distribution list, please click here.

MISC.

Vermont Workers’ Compensation Program Proposes Updated Fee Schedule – Feedback Sought

After years of VMS urging updates, the Department of Labor is proposing to completely overhaul Vermont’s fee schedule for the Workers’ Compensation Program. In summary, the changes would:

• Expand the fee schedule to include many more services such as dental and services billed with HCPCS codes, outpatient facility services and inpatient hospital facility services (services not included on the fee schedule have been paid at 83% of billed charges)
• Update the code set to include current codes through Medicare’s 2026 fee schedule
• Update the anesthesia and surgical billing guidelines
• Adopt NCCI coding edits

The payment methodology would apply a Vermont conversion factor or multiplier to the Medicare rates. It would be higher than Medicare rates, but the exact conversion factor(s) have not yet been shared.

See the proposed fee schedule, summary of changes, and annotated rule language here.

The Department of Labor will be accepting comments on the proposal until Friday, February 13th at VTFeedback@fairhealth.org before going into formal rulemaking.  Please also contact Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org with questions, comments or concerns regarding the fee schedule to assist VMS in drafting comments on behalf of our members.

EVENTS

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.

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.

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.

March 21st - Waltham, MA

The focus of the conference will be “Preparing Health Care Teams: Meeting the Present and Preparing for the Future,” and will feature Dr. Ashish Jha as the keynote speaker.

The MMS would like to invite members of VMS and your staff team to join us for a day of in-person learning and professional networking. The attached flyer includes some basic information about the program and a dedicated discount code (FHB26NE) your members may use to register at the MMS member rate.

For more information or to register for the conference, please visit: futurehealthbest.org

For more information about offerings from UVM CMIE, visit here.

Vermont Medical Society

PO Box 153

Williamstown, VT 05679

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