September 16, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

Tomorrow! Senators Sanders & Welch Answer Your Questions on Current Federal Health Care Policy

The Vermont Medical Society is proud to host both Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Peter Welch as part of the virtual VMS Congressional Townhall on Wednesday, September 17th. Please join us from 6pm-7:30pm where we will hear up-to-date information on current federal health care policy. Listen to the actions VMS members can take now to support the Vermont delegation in their efforts to promote access to evidence-based medical care and vaccines, to bolster investment in primary care and workforce pipelines, and to push back against draconian cuts to Medicaid, telehealth coverage and health insurance premium tax credits. After some introductory questions, we will provide time for VMS members to ask our Senators questions - bring your questions on Wednesday evening at 6pm. 

No preregistration required.  To join the Zoom meeting:        
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87565864162?pwd=PTJUJlKmaOnXUb5nTAyt6YEuM7SELg.1
Meeting ID: 875 6586 4162
Passcode: 199753

VMS Briefing on Vermont's Fall 2025 Immunization Recommendations – This Friday, Sept. 19 at 3pm

Hear the response from Vermont's health care community immediately following the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting. Join the Vermont Medical Society and Vermont clinicians, along with state agency and legal experts for a virtual press briefing to discuss the implications of access to vaccines this fall for all Vermonters. 

This event will take place this Friday, September 19, from 3-4pm. All VMS members are invited to attend this webinar along with reporters from across the State. Legislative leaders from the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tem's offices will be invited, along with the members of the Vermont House Health Care and Senate Health and Welfare Committees. 

 Speakers:

• Vermont Department of Health: Merideth Plumpton, RN, Immunization Program Manager
• Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (insurance coverage): Mary Block, JD, Deputy Commissioner of Insurance
• Secretary of State (pharmacy considerations): S. Lauren Hibbert, Deputy Secretary of State, Secretary of State
• Pediatrics: Rebecca Bell, MD, Pediatric Critical Care Physician, Past President, Vermont Medical Society & American Academy of Pediatrics-Vermont Chapter
• Obstetrics: Lauren MacAfee, MD, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Vice President, Vermont Medical Society
• Provider Liability: John H. Wallace, JD, Shareholder, Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer

After introductory remarks, the press, legislators and Vermont clinicians will have an opportunity to pose your most pressing questions.  The session will be recorded for those who cannot join in real time.

Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84184373297?pwd=wNtQZ9EjYNbTPAgagot37aMNkqaEN6.1
Passcode:580668

Phone one-tap:
+13052241968,,84184373297#,,,,*580668# US
+13092053325,,84184373297#,,,,*580668# US

Join VMS in Congratulating Colleen Magne on 20 Years of Service!

Colleen Magne, VMS Business Manager, celebrated 20 years of service to VMS last Friday.  Colleen not only keeps the books balanced for VMS and the VMS Education and Research Foundation (ERF), but also coordinates the work of the VMS and ERF investment committees, serves as the business manager for numerous specialty societies, and staffs the American College of Physicians Vermont Chapter.   Wearing a completely different hat, with compassion, professionalism and a steady hand, Colleen is the Program Administrator for the Vermont Practitioner Health Program – often the first point of contact for physicians and PAs who are contacting VPHP in stressful situations involving staying in practice or returning to practice with a substance use disorder or mental health condition.  Just last week, a potential participant said of Colleen: “Thank you so much for your understanding and kind words—they truly mean more than I can express…. Your compassion and support have made the process much easier to navigate.” Join all the VMS staff and leadership in thanking Colleen for 20 years of dedication to VMS, our members and mission!

Rick Hildebrant, MD, Named Commissioner of the Department of Health

Last week, Governor Phil Scott Announced the appointment of Rick Hildebrant, MD, of Clarendon, as the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health effective October 13th.  Dr. Hildebrant is an internal medicine physician and currently serves as chief medical information officer and medical director of hospital medicine at Rutland Regional Medical Center.  In that role, he has spearheaded strategic initiatives to enhance information sharing across healthcare systems, strengthen data governance frameworks, and ensure seamless interoperability between clinical and public health entities.  He also currently serves as the Chair of the Vermont Board of Medical Practice and on the board of Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Vermont’s health information exchange.    

Vermont Medical Society President Katie Marvin, MD, welcomed Dr. Hildebrant to the role.  “In getting to know Dr. Hildebrant through his roles on the Vermont Board of Medical Practice and VITL, VMS has been consistently impressed with Dr. Hildebrant’s commitment to improving systems to better serve the patients and clinicians of Vermont.  He has deep knowledge, asks hard questions and looks to improve health care in Vermont.  The Vermont Department of Health, and more importantly, Vermonters, will be in good hand with Dr. Hildebrant.”

“It is a tremendous honor to be appointed as the next Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health. Even as public health leadership faces challenges nationally, Vermont has consistently demonstrated that collaboration, science, and community can chart a different course,” said Dr. Hildebrant in the statement announcing his appointment. “I look forward to working with Governor Scott, the dedicated staff at the Department of Health, and my colleagues across the Agency of Human Services to build on this tradition and keep Vermont among the healthiest states in the nation.”

Dr. Hildebrant holds a Doctor of Medicine from Drexel University College of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Isenberg School of Management. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

VMS Submits Comments on Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Last week, VMS submitted comments to CMS regarding the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.  The letter acknowledges the 2.5% increase in the fee schedule for 2026 due to Congressional action, but asks for regular inflation-based updates to be built into physician payments.  The comments also express concern with a higher conversion factor going to physicians participating in Advanced Alternative Payment Models, given that Vermont will have few options with the end of OneCare Vermont, and with the potential ending of many telehealth regulatory flexibilities for Medicare patients going into effect October 1^st.  Read the VMS comments here.

MISC.

Provide Input to Vermont’s Maternal Health Strategic Plan – September Webinars

On July 30, 2025, over 100 maternal health partners from across Vermont gathered at the Waterbury State Office Complex for the first-ever Maternal Health Strategic Planning Summit.  The day brought together voices from across the system including public health professionals, nurses, physicians, midwives, doulas, mental health providers, community-based programs, care coordinators, parents with lived experience, and more. Together, the group explored root causes of maternal health disparities, identified innovative strategies already underway, and elevated equity as the guiding principle for Vermont’s first Maternal Health Strategic Plan

In September the Vermont Department of Health Maternal Health Innovation Team will host two webinars to present draft priorities and strategies for the Maternal Health Strategic Plan. These are open to all partners and community members to provide feedback and ensure diverse voices shape the plan.

Register: Monday, September 22nd from 10am-11am

⁠Register: Tuesday, September 23rd from 1pm-2pm

For questions, email Courtney.Smalt@vermont.gov

VMS Past President Sweeps Burlington Dancing with the Stars

VMS and AAP-VT past president, Dr. Rebecca Bell, was both the Fan Favorite and overall Winner of the 2025 Burlington Dancing with the Stars event held last Saturday at the Flynn Performing Arts Center in Burlington.   Dr. Bell and her partner, Amanda Moxley, a licensed nursing home administrator and dance instructor, centered their theme around a teenager’s visit to the pediatrician, ending with the need for an asthma inhaler - of course, spacer included.  The event was a fundraiser for the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. View WCAX’s story, with scenes of Dr. Bell’s winning dance, here.  

IA: The Supreme Court, Shield Laws, and the Future of Telehealth Abortions

Last week, NPR show 1A hosted several experts to discuss shield laws – in particular, how shield laws might hold up in light of attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana suing a doctor in New York for prescribing pills to patients in their states, where abortion is almost completely banned.   The doctor is located in New York, one of several states that has a shield law, like Vermont’s that ban cooperation with other states’ attempts to enforce abortion bans.  The experts discuss the complex and untested legal implications.  Listen or read the transcript 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 25^th and 26^th 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. 

Vermont Public Health Association: Federal Cuts to Global and Public Health Programs: Effects and Responses

October 16, 2025 - 5pm to 8pm

In-Person and Virtual

Join the University of Vermont and Vermont Public Health Association for an evening of critical exploration of the impacts federal funding cuts and policy changes are having on global and public health. With global and public health systems facing unprecedented headwinds, what’s the latest on these disruptions? How is the global and public health community responding? What more can and must be done to protect the health of our communities here and around the world?

Come engage with our event’s keynote speaker and two panels of global health and public health experts (bios below) as we explore how to best navigate these tumultuous times.

This is a free event, but pre-registration is required 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 Collaborative Meeting

November 7 - November 8, 2025

In-Person at Topnotch Resort, Stowe, VT

The 2025 Collaborative Meeting will be held on November 7th and 8th in-person with the option to join virtually for the Awards Ceremony.

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

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.

Register today.

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.

Vermont Medical Society

134 Main Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

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