July 30, 2024

NEED TO KNOW

Next Wednesday 8/6: Kick off the VMS Legislative Candidate Meet & Greet Series in Addison County!

Please join the Vermont Medical Society next Tuesday, August 6^th from 6-8pm for our first Legislative Candidate Meet & Greet reception in Addison County at the Middlebury Inn.  All of the Vermont State House and Senate legislative candidates from Addison County have been invited, along with all clinicians who work or practice in the district.  The Addison County reception is the only meet & greet that will happen before Vermont's August 13th primary. There are several very competitive primary races in Addison County including Addison 4, where long-time Democrat House incumbent Mari Cordes from Lincoln faces 2 Democratic candidates, along with 3 Republicans who are competing to be on the ballot in that 2-seat district. Longtime Addison County Democratic Senator Chris Bray and Senator Ruth Hardy also face a primary race, as Caleb Elder, who was a House Democrat, is running for a Senate seat. VTDigger has released an election guide, here.

All receptions run from 6-8 pm and the other locations are: Bennington (September 10th), Burlington (September 17th); Rutland (October 1st); Essex/Orleans County (October 3^rd)  and Montpelier (October 16th). Register here for all events. For questions, please email Birdie at bpauley@vtmd.org. 

Vermont Health Advisory:  Enhanced Summer Influenza Surveillance

In light of the multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cows, poultry and other animals, conducting surveillance for seasonal influenza viruses and monitoring for novel influenza A virus infections in humans remains critical to inform public health actions.

For these reasons, the Vermont Department of Health released a Health Advisory last week asking clinicians to continue routine testing for influenza in patients with respiratory illness throughout the summer and fall to assist with ongoing surveillance efforts to detect any spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI A/H5) to and among people in Vermont.  See the full Health Advisory here.  Also, join Commissioner of Health, Mark Levine, MD, for his next Public Health Update with VMS Members this Thursday, August 1st at 12:30 pm. You can join the zoom meeting here.

VMS Comments on Insurance Rate Requests  

In light of BCBSVT and MVP asking the Green Mountain Care Board to approve muti-digit rate increases for insurance premiums next year, VMS submitted a public comment questioning the assumptions behind Act 111/H. 766, the prior authorization reform bill, contributing .9% to that increase.  The letter calls on the Green Mountain Care Board to closely review the facts behind any claims of additional cost due to Act 111, and questions whether payer estimates take into account data regarding the lack of premium impact of similar changes made in other states or by other payers, or the full savings that could be attributed to reducing administrative costs and delayed care.  See the letter here.   

Community Meetings on Transforming Vermont’s Health Care System Continue; VMS Comments

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, retained by the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) to develop recommendations for hospital and health care system transformation.   The community meetings 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.  VMS has submitted written comments to the Oliver Wyman team and the Agency of Human Services expressing concern that the statewide recommendations do not focus sufficiently on supporting existing primary care clinicians and practices, and instead focus on expanding the locations of care delivery, increasing volume, or adding to the practice of other providers.  The memos contain more details regarding concrete and achievable steps to support and strengthen primary care in Vermont including in the areas of payment, workforce incentives and administrative burden.

• Meeting Schedule with past materials, locations and sign-up links (RSVP optional)

Remaining meetings:

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)

125+ Medical Associations Push for Congressional Action on Medicare Physician Payment

In light of the upcoming congressional recess and the recently released CY 2025 proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule which proposes to cut Medicare physician payments by 2.8%, the AMA spearheaded a Federation letter signed by all 50 state medical associations, including the Vermont Medical Society, and 76 national medical specialty societies to congressional leadership.  Read more.

Survey: Evaluation of Blueprint Community Health Team Expansion

The Blueprint is working with Market Decisions Research to gather input on the CHT Expansion Pilot initiative that began in August of 2023. Providers working in Blueprint affiliated Patient Centered Medical Homes are invited to complete the survey found here: https://us1se.voxco.com/S2/8/ProviderSurvey/

In addition, this separate link includes information about participation for an online focus group for Providers: https://us1se.voxco.com/S2/8/FGScreener/

Surveys can be completed by any primary care providers and clinical staff at Blueprint PCMH practices that participate in the CHT Expansion Pilot, including MD, DO, ND, PA, NP, RN, & LPN.

MISC.

Nominate Healthcare Leaders for VMS Awards

Nominations are now open for VMS’ Leadership Awards!  We are asking members to nominate Vermont leaders who have provided outstanding contributions to the medical profession, to health organizations and to the welfare of the public. Please submit a nomination here.  Nominations are open through August 23, 2024.

Awards include:

The awards ceremony will be held on the evening on November 1st at the 211th VMS Annual and Collaborative Meeting. Stay up to date on event details here.

Next Commissioner Call This Thursday, August 1, 2024

The Commissioner of Health, Mark Levine, MD, will hold his next Public Health Update with VMS Members this 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.

EVENTS

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

1. July 17 - Xylazine in the Era of Synthetic Street Drugs by Fernando Montero
2. July 31 - Wound Care Education by Jason Bienert
3. August 14 - Wound Care Outreach: Brief Negotiated Interview Guided by Motivational Interviewing by Stephanie Rozen
4. August 28- Additional Resources and Strategies by Michael Chaple
5. September 10 Compassion Fatigue Conversation by Paul Warren 

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.

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.

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.

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

October 16th Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT

Registration coming soon!

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.

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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