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NEED TO KNOW
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Workgroups Continue Health Reform Conversation
The Agency of Human Services Health Care Reform and Primary Care Workgroups have continued to meet through the summer. Last week, the Primary Care Workgroup convened to provide input on a number of topics including a proposal to CMS to allow primary care practices in Vermont to continue to qualify for an exemption to the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) quality reporting program; what data or information primary care practices might need to decide whether to participate in the AHEAD Model; and how Medicare care management codes will intersect with participating in AHEAD. Slides from the meeting can be found here. The Health Care Reform Work Group met yesterday and received updates on shorter-term “provider stability initiatives,” including funding for skilled nursing facilities and launching Certified Community-Based Integrated Health Centers (CCBHCs), and met the new AHS Director of Health Care Reform, Brendan Krause, who most recently served as Head of International Health at Uber. Slides from the meeting can be found here. Contact Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org with questions or feedback. |
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GMCB Insurance Rate Review Underway; Hospital Budget Hearings in August
The Green Mountain Care Board is tasked with reviewing major medical health insurance premium rates in the large group and individual and small group insurance markets. In its review, the Board must determine whether a rate is affordable, promotes quality care and access to health care, protects insurer solvency, and is not unjust, unfair, inequitable, misleading, or contrary to Vermont law. The GMCB is currently reviewing rates filed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and MVP. The hearing on the BCBSVT rates took place yesterday and the MVP hearing is tomorrow (Wednesday). There is a public comment forum on rate review from 4-5 pm on Thursday. Links to the public hearings and public comment forum can be found here. In a letter to community leaders sent yesterday, CEO of BCBSVT Don George wrote that despite already requesting premium increases of 16.3-19.1%, the company is filing an amended request to the Green Mountain Care Board to increase the contribution to its reserves for the 2025 plan year by an additional 4% due to increased health care claims and reserve levels declining precipitously. MVP has requested increases between 9.3 and 11.7%. As of their most recent filings, BCBSVT and MVP are both attributing approximately .9% of premium increase to H. 766, the prior authorization reform bill. To comment on the BCBSVT rate filing, click here. To comment on the MVP rate filing, click here. The GMCB is also in the hospital budget review process. Hospital budget hearings will begin in August. The schedule for budget hearings can be found here. |
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Community Meetings on Transforming Vermont’s Health Care System Continue this Week
Community meetings to receive and give input on recommendations for hospital and health system transformation have been running through July. The meetings are being led by Dr. Bruce Hamory and his team at Oliver Wyman. As reported in previous Rounds, in response to national trends, deteriorating hospital financial health, increasing costs for Vermonters, and gaps in access to local services, the legislature in 2022 directed the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) to retain a consultant to develop recommendations for hospital and health care system transformation. The community meetings will provide an opportunity to learn about how these recommendations could impact specific hospitals and to provide community feedback. Materials and recordings for past meetings are available on the GMCB website, as well as an opportunity to RSVP for the upcoming meetings to receive a calendar invite and meeting materials in advance.
14 In-Person Community Meetings
- Meeting Schedule with past materials, locations and sign-up links (RSVP optional)
Remaining schedule:
July 23rd 6:00 - 7:30 pm - Barre / Central Vermont Medical Center
July 24th 6:00 - 7:30 pm - Randolph / Gifford Medical Center
July 29th 4:30 - 6:00 pm - Burlington / University of Vermont Medical Center
July 30th 6:00 - 7:30 pm - Middlebury / Porter Medical Center
July 31st 6:00 - 7:30 pm - Rutland / Rutland Regional Medical Center
August 1st 7:00-8:30 pm - Bennington / Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
August 5th 6:00 - 7:30 pm - State-wide / All Hospitals (virtual only)
August 6th 6:00 - 7:30 pm - St. Johnsbury / Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (rescheduled due to flooding) |
MISC.
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Registration Now Open – VMS Fall 2024 Legislative Candidate Meet & Greet Series
Relax with colleagues while getting to know the candidates running
for the Vermont legislature from your district. VMS is inviting all Vermont
State House and Senate legislative candidates from Addison, Bennington,
Chittenden, Essex-Orleans, Rutland and Washington counties to these member-led
receptions. All physicians and PAs who work or practice in the county are
invited. The receptions run from 6-8 pm at the following dates/locations:
Middlebury (August 6th), Bennington (September 10th),
Burlington (September 17th); Rutland (October 1st);
Essex/Orleans County (October 3rd); and Montpelier (October 16th).
Register here for all
events. For questions, please email Birdie at bpauley@vtmd.org. |
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Next Commissioner Call Thursday, August 1, 2024
The
Commissioner of Health, Mark Levine, MD, will hold his next Public Health
Update with VMS Members Thursday, August 1st at 12:30 pm. You can join the
zoom meetings here.
He held his most recent VMS
member call on June 6th. Notes from the call are here. |
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EVENTS
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Inaugural Grand Rounds The Health of United States Primary Care: 2024 Scorecard Report
July 24 from 12pm to 1pm In-Person or Via Zoom
Learning Objectives: - Learners will be able to apply new knowledge and skills to clinical care, education, and research.
- Learners will expand their understanding of primary care initiatives outside of Dartmouth Health and Geisel
- Learners will be able to identify inequities in primary care and describe strategies to address them
View the event flyer here.
Watch live via Zoom here. Meeting ID: 921 8151 7953. Passcode: 200485
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Vermont Opioid Response Network Xylazine Webinar Series
July 31, August 14, August 28, September 10 at 6:30 pm
Please join Vermont Department of Health in collaboration with the Opioid Response Network for a webinar series on xylazine and wound care. The curriculum will include an overview of the risks associated with xylazine use, best practices for identifying and treating wounds, conversational strategies for enhancing engagement in wound care among PWUDs, as well as harm reduction focused resources and recommendations for improving the health of this population.
Vermont: Xylazine & Overdose Prevention Webinar Series – Registration Link for all Sessions
- July 17 - Xylazine in the Era of Synthetic Street Drugs by Fernando Montero
- July 31 - Wound Care Education by Jason Bienert
- August 14 - Wound Care Outreach: Brief Negotiated Interview Guided by Motivational Interviewing by Stephanie Rozen
- August 28- Additional Resources and Strategies by Michael Chaple
- September 10 Compassion Fatigue Conversation by Paul Warren
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Birth Certificate Quality Improvement Initiative Learning Series
September 9, 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.
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Save the date: 2024 Vermont Suicide Prevention Symposium
September 13, 2024
Join the Vermont Collaborative for Practice Improvement & Innovation in-person on September 13, 2024 at the Vermont State University Randolph campus for a day-long conference that will include presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities featuring leading voices in the field from Vermont, New England, and beyond. Our focus is on equitable, sustainable, and comprehensive suicide prevention with sessions designed for mental health clinicians, peer support workers, advocates & families, individuals with lived experience, healthcare providers, educators, and community members. This event is presented by the nonprofit Vermont Collaborative for Practice Improvement & Innovation in partnership with the Vermont Department of Mental Health and United Way of Northwest Vermont.
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Saving Time: Practice Innovation Boot Camp
September 23 - 24 AMA Plaza, Chicago This two-day, interactive boot camp from the AMA STEPS Forward® Innovation Academy equips attendees with the time-saving tools and strategies needed to reform their organizations and enhance professional satisfaction. CME eligible. Learn more here.
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Vermont ACP Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting
October 18, 2024
Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT
The Vermont ACP Chapter's Annual Scientific Meeting will occur on
Friday, October 18, 2024.
This will be an in person meeting. We will
again host a poster competition for resident and student members.
Update your medical knowledge, engage with colleagues.
Meeting details and agenda forthcoming.
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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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