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NEED TO KNOW
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Dept. of Mental Health
Updates on Bed Capacity, Youth Inpatient Expansion & More The Vermont Department of Mental Health (DMH) has released a July 15, 2025 Quarterly Report, which provides an update on the current capacity in Vermont’s mental health system, status updates on mental health programs and current DMH initiatives, and relevant mental health data. The total adult inpatient beds are 167, with 137 in use, 23 available and 7 offline. The total youth inpatient beds are 33, with 22 in use, 1 available and 10 offline. There are currently 17 adult crisis beds and 9 youth crisis beds available. Read below for DMH high-level takeaways – with more in-depth summaries of the work included in the full report:
- Youth Inpatient Expansion at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. With the Certificate of Need approved, planning is underway for a new 12-bed unit to expand youth inpatient capacity beyond Brattleboro Retreat. Project completion is targeted for late 2026.
- Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF). The Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Agency of Human Services partners are advancing plans for an in-state PRTF to reduce out-of-state placements for youth with complex needs. The facility is on track to open in late 2025.
- Certified Community-Based Integrated Health Centers (CCBHC) Demonstration Launch. As of July 1, Clara Martin Center and Rutland Mental Health Services have transitioned to Vermont’s new CCBHC model, with the goal of expanding access to integrated mental health and substance use care.
- Peer Support Specialist Certification. DMH is launching a statewide peer certification program in Vermont. The program includes standardized training, credentialing, and supervision to ensure quality and sustainability. Contracts are expected to be finalized by August 2025.
- Vermont Sees Decrease in Suicide Deaths and Emergency Department Visits. Vermont’s suicide death rate has decreased each year since peaking in 2021. In 2024, suicide-related emergency department visits also declined for the first time since data became available in 2017.
- Enhanced Mobile Crisis Services. Vermont’s mobile crisis teams are responding to urgent mental health needs quickly and effectively. In April, 77% of mobile crisis encounters received a response in under 30 minutes, and 92.6% were responded to within an hour.
- Alternatives to Emergency Departments. Most contracts have been extended through 2026. Burlington’s Mental Health Urgent Care will continue beyond its contract with DMH (ending December 2025) via Green Mountain Care Board support. The Northeast Kingdom’s Front Porch crisis beds are set to open by early fall.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Starting July 1, calls that cannot be answered in Vermont will route directly to the national backup network—streamlining response and reducing call abandonment. The state is integrating a new system to improve coordination between call centers and mobile crisis teams, with full implementation expected by August.
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Updates on Medicare Payment Policies – Telehealth Coverage; 2026 Proposed Fee Schedule
Absent action from Congress, Medicare coverage for telehealth services will become more limited as of October 1, 2025. Effective 10/1/2025, the statutory limitations that were in place for Medicare telehealth services before the COVID-19 PHE will
retake effect for most telehealth services. These include:
- Geographic restrictions (beneficiary must be located in a rural health service area – search for acceptable locations here)
- Site restrictions (beneficiary must be located in a health care facility at the time of receiving the telehealth service – only in their home for MH or SUD services)
- Limitations on the scope of practitioners who can provide telehealth services
Read more here. VMS will continue to report on updates, including if Congress extends the flexibilities beyond 9/30/25.
This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also released the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule. Beginning in calendar year (CY) 2026, there will be two separate conversion factors with separate annual updates for qualifying and nonqualifying Alternative Payment Model (APM) participants as required by statute. The change to the PFS conversion factors for CY 2026 also includes a one-year increase of 2.50% for CY 2026 included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The CY 2026 qualifying APM conversion factor is proposed to be $33.59, a projected increase of 3.83% from the CY 2025 conversion factor, and the CY 2026 nonqualifying APM conversion factor is proposed to be $33.42, a projected increase of 3.62% from CY 2025.
In the rule, CMS is also proposing a number of policy changes including reducing payment differentials for physicians across settings of care; better accounting for increased efficiencies in procedures and tests; broadening payment policies for digital mental health treatment devices; and paying for skin substitutes as incident-to supplies.
See a summary of the rule here. The rule is now in a 60-day comment period, which ends on September 12, 2025. Reach out to Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org with any feedback to incorporate into comments. |
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Registration Open for 2025 Collaborative Meeting The 212th VMS Annual and Collaborative Meeting will be held on November 7th and 8th in-person with the option to join virtually for the Awards Ceremony. The weekend will be filled with educational content, time to spend with colleagues, policy-setting meetings, and the opportunity to honor physicians and other health care leaders across the state. VMS’ Annual Meeting, hosted in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians and the Vermont Psychiatric Association, is a celebration of the unwavering commitment Vermont clinicians have to their practice and to the deep connection VMS members have with each other. Topics include: - Battling Misinformation
- AI Uses in Local Practices
- Medical Student and Resident Case Presentations
- Beyond Moral Injury - Reclaiming Agency, Belief, & Joy in Medicine
- Health Reform Panel Presentations with Discussions
Register today! |
MISC.
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DEA Alert Highlights New Scam Letters and Calls
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning registrants of new fraud schemes in which scammers impersonate DEA personnel and notify registrants that they are under investigation, presumably in an attempt to obtain personal information.
DEA has recently received reports of false letters and phone calls being used to contact both DEA registrants and non-registrants. It is not the DEA’s practice to call registrants regarding investigative matters.
If you are contacted by a person purporting to work for DEA and stating that you are under investigation, please report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. You may also wish to submit the incident to the Federal Trade Commission, which takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and shares information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies. For any victims who have given personally identifiable information like a Social Security number or DEA registration number to a scammer, go to www.identitytheft.gov to learn how to protect against identity theft. Reporting these scams will help authorities find, arrest, and stop the criminals engaged in this fraud.
As a reminder, DEA personnel will never contact registrants or members of the public to demand money or any other form of payment, will never request personal or sensitive information, and will only notify people of a legitimate investigation or legal action in person or by official letter. In fact, federal law enforcement officers are prohibited from demanding cash or gift cards from a member of the public. |
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July 29th Last Day for Health Care Providers for Blue Plan Patients to Claim Share of $2.8 Billion Settlement
As shared previously in the Rounds, a landmark $2.8 billion settlement was reached in late 2024 with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and participating Individual Blue Plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. The settlement resolves claims brought by healthcare providers alleging anti-competitive practices, including agreements to divide geographic service areas and price-fixing for healthcare services.
The Settlement Class includes healthcare providers across the United States who, between July 24, 2008, and October 4, 2024, provided services, equipment, or supplies to patients insured by, or beneficiaries of, any plan administered by a settling Blue Plan.
Providers and facilities wanting to submit a claim for payment from the Net Settlement Fund must submit a claim form online or by mail no later than July 29, 2025.
For further details about the Settlement, deadlines, and eligibility, visit the settlement website: www.BCBSprovidersettlement.com, law firm updates at https://whatleykallas.com/bcbs-settlement/ or join an upcoming webinar to learn more about how to submit a claim: https://www.bcbsprovidersettlement.com/Home/ClaimSubmissionWebinars. |
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Vermont Immunization Program Updates
For important updates from the Vermont Immunization Program, including how the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) changes impact Vermont, the pause on Chikungunya vaccine for seniors, a current measles outbreak outlook and more, please see the:
These materials can also be found on the Health Care Professionals website. |
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Larner College of Medicine Literary and Visual Arts Magazine Seeks Submissions
UVM Larner College of Medicine’s literary and visual arts magazine, The Red Wheelbarrow, is looking for submissions in the literary and visual arts! We particularly welcome work in the medical humanities, an interdisciplinary field that aims to make sense of medical practice, education, and human health and disease; non-medical work is also welcomed. The literary arts include prose, poetry, reporting, and personal essays. The visual arts include photography, painting, graphic design, drawing, and 3-D art (e.g., sculpture, ceramics, fiber). For 3-D submissions, please provide a picture of your work. Submissions can be submitted to the following link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9spta6 The deadline for submissions is August 1st, 2025 at 11:59 PM. Please reach out to redwheelbarrowuvm@gmail.com if you have any questions! |
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