February 24, 2026

NEED TO KNOW

VMS Takes on Washington DC

VMS President Naiim Ali, MD and Deputy Director Stephanie Winters attended the American Medical Association National Advocacy Conference in Washington DC this week, meeting with the Vermont Congressional Delegation on Capitol Hill.

Topics at the forefront of conversation are healthcare access, funding, preauthorization and workforce.

Last Week Before Town Meeting Break - FY27 Budget Memos Due and Legislators Pushing Bills to Make Crossover

H.545, the bill regarding Vermont adopting its own immunization recommendations, passed the Senate and now goes back to the House for final approval. Last week, Jessa Barnard, Executive Director of the Vermont Medical Society, provided testimony to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on S.190, requesting to maintain health care provider bargaining groups, and suggesting language allowing the Green Mountain Care Board be exempt from needing to negotiate with these groups in establishing reference-based pricing. That bill is up for debate Wednesday of this week. S.197, the primary care payment bill, had testimony from Dr. Elliott Fisher in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee last week and will be heard again this Wednesday in the Committee. 

Please Take Action: Psychologists Prescribing, Optometrists Performing Eye Surgery, Cannabis and FY27 Budget

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee continues to get pushed by optometrists to pass S.64. Your emails are helping - please continue to reach out on the patient safety risks for Vermonters of expanding optometry scope of practice.

Please email the committee at: 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

Psychologists Prescribing

Up for possible for vote this Thursday morning, H.237 seems to be advancing in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. Because of VPA advocacy the bill includes a number of important safeguards that have been added since the bill started being talked about years ago. In the current draft, the bill includes:

Please reach out to Senate Health and Welfare Committee members with your thoughts or written testimony: 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

Cannabis Bill - Testimony on Friday

This Friday, the Senate Economic Development Committee will be taking more testimony on S.278, an omnibus cannabis bill looking to expand geographic density of retail shops, remove advertising restrictions, reduce excise taxes and provide more access to cannabis. Do you have information on the actual impact of use of high potency concentrates and cannabis use disorder, accidental ingestion, and cannabis hyperemesis syndrome?  

Please reach out to the Committee regarding the public health impact of reducing regulation of cannabis sales on our communities: aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us; kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us; tchittenden@leg.state.vt.us; rbrock@leg.state.vt.us; dweeks@leg.state.vt.us; cmead@leg.state.vt.us;

FY27 Budget - VMS Requests for House Appropriations

Last week, House Committees drafted their FY27 Budget priorities to guide the House Appropriations Committee in their policy decisions for the budget. Unlike years past, there is no funding beyond what the Governor put in his proposed FY27 budget, which made for difficult decisions in the House Health Care Committee recommendations, which do not restore proposed funding cuts to primary care payments from the Medicaid ACO, OCVT Population Health, or CPR tied to the ending of OneCare Vermont. The Health Care Committee did recommend restoring the AHEC funding for both the cuts to the primary care workforce pipeline and educational loan repayment. In response, the VMS has sent this funding request to the House Appropriations Committee to urge them to at least fund these critical primary care initiatives: 

Please email the House Appropriations Committee before the end of this week:

rscheu@leg.state.vt.us; tbluemle@leg.state.vt.us; edickinson@leg.state.vt.us; jkascenska@leg.state.vt.us; wlaroche@leg.state.vt.us; mmrowicki@leg.state.vt.us; mnigro@leg.state.vt.us; tsquirrell@leg.state.vt.us; tstevens@leg.state.vt.us; dyacovone@leg.state.vt.us; mfeltus@leg.state.vt.us; autumn.crabtree@vtleg.gov.

MISC.

VMS Past President and Long-Time AMA Delegate – Robert S. Block, MD

Dr. Robert Stuart Block (known as Bob), age 78, died on February 19, 2026, at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation in Bennington, Vermont, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Bob was an orthopedic surgeon who practiced with Orthopedic & Hand Surgery, PC (later Taconic Orthopedics) in Bennington for over thirty years.

From 1997 to 1998, Bob served as President of the Vermont Medical Society. He continued his service as a Vermont delegate to the American Medical Association for many years. He also was a vocal advocate for health care reform, participating in efforts to establish a single-payer system. He strongly believed in patient autonomy and joined the group Compassion and Choices to advance medical aid in dying legislation in Vermont. He held onto his passion for advancing medicine and science even as he began to struggle with Alzheimer’s, participating in a trial for dementia medication knowing it might not benefit him personally but could help others.

Read full obituary here.

From Beth Zigmund, MD: VMS Member Running for South Burlington City Council

I’m Beth Zigmund, MD, and I’m running for the South Burlington City Council on March 3rd. I’m a radiologist at UVMMC, where I’m Director of Lung Cancer Screening and Chief of the cardiothoracic division of the Radiology Department. I have a long history of policy advocacy at the regional, state, and national level related to climate change, environmental pollution, and health. I’m running for office because I believe strong leadership and civic engagement are more critical than ever as our city grows and federal actions require more local self-reliance to ensure the wellbeing and cohesion of our community.

For more information visit my website!

GLP-1 Study Now Recruiting  - Provider Support Needed

GLP-1 receptor agonists have rapidly transformed the landscape of weight management and metabolic health, yet less is known about how these medications influence patient motivation, expectations, and engagement in long-term lifestyle change. Meanwhile, direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms offering GLP-1 agonist medications continue to grow in popularity, allowing patients to bypass their primary care providers to access these drugs. Our study through the Larner College of Medicine at UVM seeks to better understand patient perspectives surrounding GLP-1 agonist therapy, including how enthusiasm for weight loss and lifestyle modification evolves over time. This study also aims to better understand how patients are accessing such therapies and whether they are discussing their use with their primary care providers. 

We invite providers to support this effort by sharing the survey with eligible patients (adults taking GLP-1 agonists for any reason) and displaying recruitment flyers in clinic spaces. Participation is brief, voluntary, and designed to minimize patient burden while contributing valuable insight into how GLP-1 agonist therapies are shaping patient experiences in real-world settings. Your help is essential to ensuring diverse patient representation and helping generate evidence that may guide future clinical conversations around this evolving topic.

For questions or comments, please reach out to elle.cunningham@med.uvm.edu. 

Clinician Recruitment: University of Vermont Perinatal Substance Use Care Research Study

Vermont clinicians are invited to participate in an IRB-approved research study to better understand current care practices, challenges, and workflows for perinatal patients with substance use disorder. Insights from participating providers will be analyzed alongside a de-identified chart review (2021-2023) to identify trends in MAT discontinuation and gaps in care. Providers involved in the care of perinatal patients with substance use disorder in the specialties of OBGYN, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Addiction Medicine, and Psychiatry are invited to participate.

Choose the option most convenient for you:

1. One-on-one interview (Zoom or Teams) (30 – 60 Minutes)
2. Virtual focus group (Zoom or Teams) (30-60 Minutes)
3. Anonymous REDCap Survey (no scheduling needed)

Use the link below to sign up:  https://calendly.com/bazinetphillipsj  If you would like more information before signing up or prefer to participate via an anonymous REDCap survey, please feel free to contact us by email at Jasmine.Bazinet-Phillips@med.uvm.edu or phone at (802)-847-7986.  See more information on the survey flyer and information sheet.

EVENTS

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

2026 Vascular and Cardiac Forum

April 7, 2026

DoubleTree by Hilton, South Burlington, VT

The Vascular and Cardiac Forum this year will provide primary care, internal medicine, urgent care, and physical therapy providers with education about a variety of vascular and cardiac conditions. The objectives are to improve accuracy and timeliness of the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions and efficiently use expert consultation in a value-based environment.

Please visit the conference website and registration link here.

AI in Medicine Conference

April 10, 2026

Delta Hotel by Marriott, South Burlington, VT

Join the University of Vermont for this inaugural conference exploring the applications of AI in medicine. This event is appropriate for physicians, physician assistants, nursing, advanced practitioners, researchers, and other interested professionals.

Please visit the conference website and registration link here.

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

Vermont Medical Society

PO Box 153

Williamstown, VT 05679

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