August 26, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

Please Join Us for the VMS Congressional Town Hall Sept 17th

Please join us on September 17, 2025 from 6-7:30pm, when VMS members can meet with Senator Peter Welch to hear an update on the actions of Congress that impact health care and ask your most pressing federal questions.  Other members of Vermont’s Congressional Delegation have been invited as well. Please send any questions you have for Senator Welch by September 17th to Jill at jsudhoffguerin@vtmd.org. 

No preregistration required.  To join the Zoom meeting:        
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87565864162?pwd=PTJUJlKmaOnXUb5nTAyt6YEuM7SELg.1

Meeting ID: 875 6586 4162
Passcode: 199753

The Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care Holds First Meeting

The Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care held its first meeting last Tuesday evening, August 19th.  The primary goal of the meeting was to review the charge, composition and some of the operational guidelines of the committee. Katie Marvin, M.D., is representing VMS as its president.  The agenda; and draft minutes of the August meeting are public.  Also at this meeting the group set an every other month cadence for meeting, elected a chair, and elected a representative to the broader Health Care Delivery Advisory Committee.  Congratulations to Fay Homan, M.D., family physician at Little Rivers Health Care who will serve as chair of this committee, and to Rachel Garfield, Executive Director of Vermont Child Health Improvement Program who will serve as the committee representative to the Health Care Reform Advisory Committee.  The next meeting will be held on October 21st from 4-5:30 in person with a virtual option.  Information for this meeting and others can be found on the committee page.

The newly established Health Care Delivery Advisory Committee, also formed under Act 68 of 2025, will hold its initial meeting on the afternoon of October 15th.   The Agency of Human Services will provide administrative and technical support to facilitate the Committee and is in the process of identifying organizational representatives who will serve on the Committee.   

Per Act 68, the Health Care Delivery Advisory Committee is tasked with several important objectives:

  1. Establishing benchmarks for health care affordability.
  2. Evaluating and monitoring the performance of Vermont’s health care system and its impact on population health outcomes.
  3. Collaborating with the Agency of Human Services and other stakeholders to develop and maintain the Statewide Health Care Delivery Strategic Plan.
  4. Considering recommendations from the Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care.
  5. Advising the Green Mountain Care Board on designing and implementing an ongoing evaluation process for the health care delivery system.
  6. Providing coordinated recommendations to the General Assembly on issues related to health care delivery, including primary care and population health.

GMCB Significantly Lowers Health Insurance Rate Increases for Over 70,000 Vermonters

The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) announced last week that it had completed its review of 2026 Qualified Health Plan (QHP) rate filings from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and MVP Health Plan.  The GMCB announcement highlighted that their decisions reflect the GMCB statutory duty to protect Vermonters from unaffordable premium increases while ensuring that insurers remain solvent to serve their members.  Some of the reduced rate was accomplished by insurers ending coverage for GLP-1 medications, as well as legislative action capping the prices of facility-administered drugs.  Despite the reduction in rate increases, many Vermonters seeking individual coverage for 2026 will still face a significant increase in what they must contribute to their premium costs if Congress does not extend enhanced premium tax credits. 

Key outcomes of the 2026 rate review include:

  • BCBSVT (Individual Market): Requested 23.5% → GMCB approved 9.6%
  • BCBSVT (Small Group Market): Requested 13.5% → GMCB approved 4.4%
  • MVP (Individual Market): Requested 6.2% → GMCB approved 1.3%
  • MVP (Small Group Market): Requested 7.5% → GMCB approved 2.5%

Additional resources, including the full GMCB written decisions and rate review hearing videos, are available on the GMCB website.  Media coverage of the rate decisions can be found here and here.

Welch to Host Listening Session Tomorrow 8/27 on the Impact of Trump's Health Care Policies

Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 27th at 5:30 PM, U.S. Senator Peter Welch will host a Listening Session with community members to hear how President Trump’s health care policies are impacting Vermonters. This event will be held at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, College Hall Chapel Room (2nd Floor), 36 College Street, Montpelier, VT.

Vermont officials estimate up to 45,000 Vermonters could lose their health coverage in the coming years as a result of President Trump’s health care policies. The Republicans' so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ will cut more than $1 trillion dollars from Medicaid over ten years and make it harder for rural hospitals and other providers to stay afloat. Vermonters are invited to share their thoughts and concerns with Senator Welch. Attendees are asked to RSVP here.

MISC.

Reminder -  Telehealth Coverage for Medicare Patients Slated to Become More Limited 10/1/25

As reported previously in the Rounds, 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

It is important to note that for services for behavioral or mental telehealth, all patients can continue to get telehealth wherever they’re located, with no originating site requirements or geographic location restrictions. The patient’s home is a permissible originating site for services provided for diagnosing, evaluating, or treating: mental health disorders; substance abuse disorder and monthly ESRD-related clinical assessments.  

Read more here or https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mln901705-telehealth-remote-patient-monitoring.pdf.  See also https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy/telehealth-policy-updates.

Vermont Medicaid (DVHA ) has confirmed to VMS that federal Medicare regulation changes for the delivery of telehealth services do not apply to Vermont Medicaid and will not impact coverage.  VMS will continue to report on updates, including if Congress extends the flexibilities for Medicare coverage beyond 9/30/25. 

Register Today for the 2025 Collaborative Meeting – Book Your Room by October 6th

Join us for the 2025 Collaborative Meeting of the Vermont Medical Society, American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, and Vermont Psychiatric Association, November 7–8 at Topnotch Resort & Spa in Stowe, VT.

Accommodations:

  • Topnotch Discounted Rooms – inclusive of all fees; block expires October 6th.
  • Nearby Hotels & Airbnbs – confirm the dates and your travel time to Topnotch to ensure you arrive for the meeting start.

Childcare: Register by October 1st to access complimentary childcare.

Don’t miss this chance to learn, collaborate, and celebrate with colleagues across Vermont.

For more information about the agenda and to register, click here.

Register Now for the Vermont ACP Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting

The Vermont ACP Chapter's Annual Scientific Meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 3, 2025. This will be an in-person meeting at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. We will again host a poster competition for resident and student members.

The ACP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The American College of Physicians designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 credits (s).

Successful completion of this CME Activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 5.25 medical knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credit claimed for the activity. It is the CMA activity providers responsibility to submit participant information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Visit the Meeting Hub for registration, agenda, and details of the meeting here.

EVENTS

VAHHS Annual Meeting: Era of Change: Healthcare Transformation, Challenges & Opportunities

September 25 - 26, 2025

Please join VAHHS at our Annual Meeting on September 25th and 26th at Jay Peak!

Our theme is Era of Change: Healthcare Transformation, Challenges and Opportunities

Sessions include:

  • Transforming Rural Healthcare Through Purposeful Regionalization
  • What the Heck is Interoperability, and How Do We Get It?
  • Mobile Integrated Health (MIH): Where Leveraging Community Partnerships, Population Health and the Quadruple Aim Meet

Learn more and register here.

What the Living and the Dead Owe Each Other: How the Burke and Hare Murders Changed Medicine and How We Think About Bodies

September 30, 2025

We will be taking a look at how the 1828 Burke & Hare Murders in Edinburgh changed both the medical and legal practice of human dissection, as well as current events that continue to make us think about how we view dead bodies and their role in medical education.

Anastasia Arvin-DiBlasio is a medical student at University of Vermont, just finishing her 3rd year. She became interested in medical history when her AP US History teacher did a lesson on Civil War amputations - she was hooked! The 19th century is her favorite for medical history. What fascinates her is how many things were discovered or pioneered in this era (and others) that are still in use today, and the far reach it has outside medicine proper.

Register here. 

Clinical Quality Symposium: Building & Expanding Collaborative Systems for Maternal Health

October 28, 2025


Join us for a one-day symposium focused on strengthening partnerships across maternity care, primary care, and public health. Designed for maternity providers, primary care clinicians, public health professionals, and community organizations, this event will explore collaborative models to improve maternal health outcomes—particularly in the face of growing maternity care deserts in Vermont and New Hampshire.


Sessions will include:

  • Innovative approaches to integrating maternity and primary care
  • Dedicated breakout tracks for maternity and primary care providers
  • Strategies to support postpartum care and mental health
  • Practical tools for building cross-sector collaboration

Register here.

2025 Obesity Medicine & Weight Management Conference

November 14, 2025

Delta Hotel, South Burlington, VT


This conference is designed to improve the skills of primary care healthcare teams as they navigate new treatments in obesity medicine and weight management. The target audience includes primary care physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and other health professionals who pertain to primary care.


Learn more and register here.

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

VTMD.ORG

Vermont Medical Society

134 Main Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

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