Legislative Update

Devon Green, Sr. Vice President of Policy & Strategy

A huge thank you to Chairs Black and Lyons and Rep. Berbeco and Sen. Gulick, along with all the members of the health care committees, for quickly shepherding through the House and Senate H.84, a bill that allows for recording of telehealth visits with consent. Not only will this bill support more engaged patient visits; it will also provide a better quality of life for our providers. Fun fact: it’s also one of the rare bills that remained unchanged from start to finish! Next stop is the governor’s desk for a signature.

See below for everything else that happened last week:

Reduction or Elimination of Services: VAHHS testified in front of the House Health Care Committee on S.189, which addresses the intentional reduction or elimination of hospital services. VAHHS supported the Senate-passed version of the bill, which requires hospitals to provide notice to policymakers and hold a public meeting prior to reducing or eliminating services.

DVHA Miscellaneous Bill: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard from Bi-State Primary Care Association on an amendment to H.611 that would include in house pharmacies in last year’s Act 55 340B protections.

Primary Care: The House Health Care Committee focused its efforts on primary care last week. They walked through H.433, which is the incremental implementation of universal primary care and S.197, the Senate-passed bill which makes the Blueprint for Health more sustainable.

APRN Bill: The House Health Care Committee introduced a new draft of S.163, a bill that includes APRNs in the hospital Patients’ Bill of Rights and provides them with admitting and discharging privileges. The Board of Medical Practice weighed in to say they did not support the bill, but that if it moved forward, they would like Physician Assistants (PAs) included as well. The new draft includes PAs along with APRNS.

NBC5

Vermont is facing a nursing shortage as the aging population becomes more reliant on hospital care. So, two years ago, the UVM Health Network launched a new phase of nursing education pathway programs in partnership with Norwich University and Vermont State University.

It’s part of a long-term strategy to fill the immediate need for more bedside nurses and the shortage of clinical instruction to prospective nursing students.

"There's a nursing shortage, but the nursing shortage comes from, we need more faculty. Faculty have to have a certain level of degree to be able to teach clinically, to be able to be in the classroom. And they need that Master of Science of Nursing. So, this partnership with UVM is filling that need," said UVM inpatient nurse and Norwich University senior lecturer Dr. Corey Bennett.

The nursing pathways programs have already provided some immediate relief to the shortage, and the programs will continue to do so as they produce more graduates.

Watch

Final Reading: Town Meeting voters urged lawmakers to consider a universal health care bill. What can that change in Montpelier?

VTDigger

How much sway does the voice of the people really have in the People’s House?

On Town Meeting Day, eight Vermont towns resoundingly called on the Legislature to take up a bill that would launch a multiphase universal health care program, called Green Mountain Care.

That bill, H.433, did not make it past crossover deadlines and has no real chance of becoming a law this year. But House Health Care Committee members still took it off the wall Wednesday and had legislative counsel Jennifer Carbee walk them through the bill’s language — “for educational purposes,” at least, said Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex Town, the committee chair.

Still, the activists behind the Town Meeting Day resolution found legislators’ approach to the faltering bill promising.

“I was buoyed,” Dr. Jack Mayer, a primary care physician who testified before the committee Wednesday, told VTDigger. He was one of the driving forces behind putting the resolution to town meeting voters.

“In the end, the intention of the resolution was, let’s just get this onto the floor. Let’s debate this. Let’s consider it. Let’s have the conversation,” he said.

Lawmakers on the House panel asked technical questions about what kind of preventative services Green Mountain Care might include and how the state might fund such a program. They entertained these concerns not only for the fun of it, but also to inform their work on the year’s big primary care bill, S.197, that just crossed into their committee from the Senate.

VAHHS Annual Meeting Call for Speakers

Though spring is still struggling to make an appearance, we’re getting ready for the September 17 and 18 VAHHS Annual Meeting. We’re approaching things a little differently this year. Rather than coming up with a theme and then asking for proposals for content, we’re releasing a request for proposals (RFP) for breakout sessions now and hoping a theme will emerge from the ideas we receive.

We do know we’d like to build on the positive experience our board had while working with local high school students on the community service project last year by incorporating the voices of Vermont students into the conference. If your organization has programs in place that involve schools, higher education or students, we’d particularly like to hear about them.

Thanks for your consideration. If you have questions, please send them to communications@vahhs.org. That’s also the address to which you should send completed proposals.

Other News

Rutland Regional Medical Center gifted drawings from elementary school kids for ‘National Doctor Day’

Dartmouth Health Improves Childbirth Safety with TeamBirth Model

Rutland Regional Medical Center offers drug-free depression treatment

Second Chance honored for donations to Copley

UVM student group raises over $101,000 for Golisano Children’s Hospital

Other News

Health Talk: How to prevent type 2 diabetes

Did you know that over 1 in 3 American adults has prediabetes? Even more surprising, most people don’t know they have it. Prediabetes means your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not yet in the diabetes range. The good news is that prediabetes doesn’t have to become diabetes. You can take steps now to protect your health.

The same test that checks for diabetes can also identify prediabetes. Everyone age 35 and older should get screened at least every three years. You should get tested sooner or more often if you are overweight and have other risk factors such as a family member with diabetes, high blood pressure, a history of gestational diabetes, or if you are not physically active. Testing is simple and can be done with a regular blood test at your doctor’s office.

If you have prediabetes, you can cut your risk of getting diabetes by more than half. Research shows that losing just 7% of your body weight can make a big difference. For someone who weighs 200 pounds, that’s only 14 pounds. You don’t need a special diet to get started. Focus on eating more vegetables, choosing whole grains, and cutting back on sugary drinks. A Mediterranean-style diet with plenty of greens, fruits and healthy fats works well for many people.

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