October 1, 2024

NEED TO KNOW

This Week: VMS Hosts 2024 Candidate Receptions in Rutland and Essex/Orleans Counties

Please Join Us Tonight, October 1st, at the Rutland County Candidate Meet & Greet at the Rutland Country Club from 6-8pm and Thursday, October 3^rd at the Essex/Orleans County Meet & Greet at the Eastside Pub and Grill. If you live or practice in Rutland, Essex or Orleans Counties, come meet the candidates who could represent you in the Vermont House and Senate after the general election in November. Click here to register and to learn about the last date in Washington County on Oct. 16^th at Barr Hill Distillery. 

For questions please email Jill Sudhoff-Guerin at jsudhoffguerin@vtmd.org.

VMS Hosts Inspiring Congressional Town Hall 

Thanks to all the VMS members who were able to participate in last week's Congressional Town Hall with Senator Welch, Rep. Becca Balint and Beth Stern, Senator Sanders' Outreach Manager. Despite only a week's notice we had great attendance in this lunchtime webinar and were able to hear firsthand the healthcare priorities of each member of Vermont's Congressional delegation.  Please find the link to the recording to the webinar below and listen to Senator Welch give an impassioned thank you to Vermont's clinicians who took care of everyone during COVID, to Beth Stern quote Bernie when asked how he keeps going say, "Despair is not an option," and to hear Rep. Becca Balint talk about how we must do everything in our power to fight the epidemic of loneliness across our State.  

Watch the Zoom recording here. 

Passcode: 2QSyw#P8

VMS Board Considers Oliver Wyman Report

The VMS Board met last Wednesday, September 25^th and on the agenda was the VMS response to the Act 167/Oliver Wyman report on hospital transformation.  Thank you to all of the VMS members who submitted feedback for the Board’s consideration.  We received over 20 pages of comments and have collated them by topic and will continue to reference them to inform our response and to reach out to members who may be able to assist with next steps.  The Board agreed that VMS’ unique areas of focus should be the impact of the report on the health care workforce and on patient access/equity considering how the proposed changes would affect more vulnerable patients or patients who are unable to travel to access services.  VMS will also convene specialty societies to review the report and comment on the clinical impact of various recommendations in the report.  To review a summary of the report, see last week’s Rounds here.  For news articles with responses to the report, click here.  VMS continues to accept member comment – please email them to jbarnard@vtmd.org.

Register Today for the 2024 Collaborative Meeting and Book Your Room by October 2nd

The 2024 Collaborative Meeting of the Vermont Medical Society, American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, and Vermont Psychiatric Association being held Friday, November 1^st through Saturday, November 2^nd at Topnotch Resort and Spa in Stowe, VT.

You can book your accommodations today through the following methods:

1. Stay on site with a Discounted Room at Topnotch - You can register on this link or use the following discount code VMS24
2. Hotels in the Area - when booking confirm that your dates are correct and that you are comfortable traveling the distance in between your hotel of choice and Topnotch to join us for meeting start times.
3. Airbnbs in the Area - when booking confirm that your dates are correct and that you are comfortable traveling the distance in between your Airbnb of choice and Topnotch to join us for meeting start times

The discounted room block offered through Topnotch expires on October 2nd, so make sure to book by then!

As a reminder, we are happy to offer childcare to those that register for before October 1st!

You don’t want to miss this opportunity to come together to learn, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues around the state. Register today for the meeting and to ensure you have childcare!

MISC.

Next Commissioner Call This Thursday, October 3rd

The Commissioner of Health, Mark Levine, MD, will hold his next Public Health Update with VMS Members Thursday, October 3rd at 12:30 pm. You can join the zoom meetings here.

He held his most recent VMS member call on August 1st. Notes from the call are here.

Submit a Resolution to VMS – Help Direct the Work of YOUR Society

VMS welcomes members to submit resolution ideas.  Resolutions set the policy positions of VMS and often drive VMS advocacy work at the state and federal levels.

Resolutions can be submitted on a year-round basis, any time by any VMS member or group of members, including student members. Resolutions are intended to express composite positions of the VMS and are to suggest a significant course of action to be taken by the Society. To see adopted VMS resolutions, click here.

Once a resolution idea is submitted by a member, the resolution will be reviewed by VMS staff, who may assist with further drafting or clarification.  Resolutions are then distributed for comment and non-binding survey to all membership. At a Board meeting after gathering member feedback, the VMS Board will review the resolution and feedback of membership.  All resolutions presented to the Board then require a majority vote of the Board for action, including adoption, amendment or referral.

To submit a resolution idea, please fill out the form, available here or contact jbarnard@vtmd.org for further assistance.

Green Mountain Job and Retention Program Applicants needed: Deadline December 1

The Green Mountain Job and Retention Program is still accepting applications and is calling for 100 more people to apply for this $5000 loan repayment incentive! This program is here to help you retain and incentivize employees who have recently graduated from Vermont’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Any recent graduate with a Bachelor's or Master's degree can apply for the award when meeting the following criteria:

1. People who graduated from a Vermont institution from December 2023 to June 2024
2. Completed a Bachelor's degree program or a Master's degree program
3. Plans to live and work full-time in Vermont for at least 2 years

If you would like marketing materials or have questions, feel free to contact michele.karode@uvm.edu or Cboyson@uvm.edu.

If you have any questions regarding the application, please call VSAC at 1-833-819-0088.

Vermont Health Connect Open Enrollment 2025 is Around the Corner. Big changes!

Open Enrollment for 2025 health and dental plans is coming soon. This is the time when Vermonters can sign up for, change, or update their coverage.

Open Enrollment begins November 1, 2024, and continues until January 15, 2025. Sign up by December 15 and the new 2025 coverage begins January 1.

Despite premium increases being approved, most Vermonters who have been enrolled on the individual market and have been getting financial help will get more in 2025. The additional financial help can be applied to any metal plan.  Even more than in previous years, individuals should look at all the options including different plans from both insurance companies. Learn more at www.VermontHealthConnect.gov.

Application Open - The Opioid and Substance Use Treatment Training Scholarship Program

The Opioid and Substance Use Treatment Training Scholarship Program offered by The Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Treatment at the University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction (UVM CORA) is an intensive 2-day free program for rural primary care practices. The program brings together interdisciplinary teams from rural Vermont practices who are seeking to start or increase their prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). In partnership with UVM CORA clinicians, faculty, and staff, participants can expect to engage in the following topics, tailored to patients and providers in rural areas:

• Addressing MOUD treatment-related issues or challenges occurring within their own practices, honing skills and gaining resources to make improvements;
• Supporting patients with complex needs related to opioid use disorder (OUD), including prescribing and managing MOUD;
• Supporting patients with other substance use disorders (SUD);
• Enhancing OUD/SUD prevention and treatment in rural communities

The application deadline is October 7, 2024.

Applicants will be notified by late October, and the program will take place in Burlington, Vermont, on January 30-31, 2025.

Learn more information and apply here. 

Call for Public Comment: Pilot Model Pathway to Board Eligibility for Exceptionally Qualified International Medical Graduates

The ABIM Council has proposed a pilot model for exceptionally qualified international medical graduates (IMGs) pursuing accredited subspecialty fellowship in the U.S. or Canada to become eligible for ABIM Board Certification. These physicians currently do not have a pathway to board eligibility.

Following thorough discussion among the Specialty Boards and Advisory Committees, and based on input from external stakeholder groups including medical societies, medical organizations (i.e. the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), ACGME-International, Intealth) and program directors, the Council invites the internal medicine community to offer commentary on the proposed pilot.

All diplomates maintaining certification by ABIM are invited to comment by October 1, 2024.  Read more here.

Application Open - The Opioid and Substance Use Treatment Training Scholarship Program

The Opioid and Substance Use Treatment Training Scholarship Program offered by The Rural Center of Excellence on SUD Treatment at the University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction (UVM CORA) is an intensive 2-day free program for rural primary care practices. The program brings together interdisciplinary teams from rural Vermont practices who are seeking to start or increase their prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). In partnership with UVM CORA clinicians, faculty, and staff, participants can expect to engage in the following topics, tailored to patients and providers in rural areas:

• Addressing MOUD treatment-related issues or challenges occurring within their own practices, honing skills and gaining resources to make improvements;
• Supporting patients with complex needs related to opioid use disorder (OUD), including prescribing and managing MOUD;
• Supporting patients with other substance use disorders (SUD);
• Enhancing OUD/SUD prevention and treatment in rural communities

The application deadline is October 7, 2024.

Applicants will be notified by late October, and the program will take place in Burlington, Vermont, on January 30-31, 2025.

Learn more information and apply here. 

Register Today for the VMS  Physician Wellness Retreat, Jan 25-28^th

Join the Vermont Medical Society from Sunday, January 25th at 3pm through Tuesday, January 28th at 12pm for deep rest and a reprieve from the busy-ness of medicine.  Experience the benefits of mindfulness, restorative yoga practices and culinary medicine. Cultivate relationships with other physicians while you re-connect with what matters most to you in a grounding, natural environment. Instructors include Dr. Anna Benvenuto, a practicing OBGYN hospitalist, and Doug Wysockey-Johnson, the Program Director of Lumunos. Included with registration are all meals, overnight accommodations at Setu Retreat Center in Brattleboro, 1 massage, and all yoga/meditation/ group sessions & activities.

Registration is open until October 18th. Learn more and register here.

EVENTS

Birth Certificate Quality Improvement Initiative Learning Series

October 7, 2024

Virtual

In collaboration with the Vermont Department of Health Division of Family and Child Health and the Division of Health Statistics and Informatics, the Perinatal Quality Collaborative - Vermont (PQC-VT) is embarking on a vital statistics birth certificate quality improvement initiative (BCQII).

The project aim is to improve the accuracy of key birth certificate variables to support public health and quality improvement efforts. The objective is to increase birth certificate data quality in Vermont by providing education opportunities, technical assistance, and shared learning to Vermont hospital teams involved in birth certificate data collection.

Register here for the learning series.

2024 Clinical Quality Symposium - Comprehensive Care Nourishing Minds, Bodies, and Communities

October 16th Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT

For more details on the sessions, speakers and to register, please visit here.

Vermont ACP Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting

October 18, 2024

Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT

Join us for the in-person Vermont ACP Chapter's Annual Scientific Meeting.

Meeting Highlights

• Atrial Fibrillation Update
• Lung Cancer Screening
• Update in Hospital Medicine
• Update in General Internal Medicine
• Physician Wellness
• Principles in the Care of Gender Diverse Persons
• Things We Do For No Reason
• Public Health Highlights

Designated for a maximum of 4.5 AMA PRAA Category 1 credit(s) and up to 4.5 medical knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Visit the Meeting Hub for registration, agenda and details of the meeting here.

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.

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

Vermont Medical Society

134 Main Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

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