Cover Image - Report from the Chief Medical Officer, Carrie Wulfman MD. The left side of the cover image shows a smiling woman with blonde hair in a dark navy jacket.

Dr. Carrie Wulfman is a family medicine physician of 30 years and a resident of Ripton, VT. Dr. Wulfman practices at Brandon Primary Care in Addison County and is chief medical officer at OneCare Vermont. As chief medical officer for OneCare, Dr. Wulfman provides overall clinical leadership and direction and serves as the senior clinical representative with the government, commercial insurers, and the public.

Committee Reorganization

In the first quarter of 2022, OneCare team members finalized a new structure for subcommittees and work groups that report to OneCare’s Population Health Strategy and Finance Committees. In addition to defining a new structure, our team has created or revised the charters for these groups and moved them through the approval process.

We have also worked to ensure each of these groups is diverse and inclusive while keeping group size and meeting time manageable in order to accomplish our work effectively and efficiently. Group charters will each contain a unified diversity, equity, and inclusion statement as follows:

When recruiting participants for the subcommittee (group), the chair will make reasonable efforts to ensure membership is diversely representative in the following ways: experience in geographic areas throughout Vermont; diverse medical practice types to represent experiences across the continuum of care; experience understanding social determinants of health and/or improving health equity for Vermonters. 

It has been motivating to participate in this evolution and to see staff and OneCare providers working together to further our strategic plan and purpose. We strive to improve connection between the patient care work of our members in the field and our governance by aligning our work streams with clear reporting to the Board of Managers. The final committee structure, membership lists and charters are available by request. Contact me at Carrie.Wulfman@onecarevt.org.

It has been motivating to participate in this evolution and to see staff and OneCare providers working together to further our strategic plan and purpose. We strive to improve connection between the patient care work of our members in the field and our governance by aligning our work streams with clear reporting to the Board of Managers.

Dr. Carrie Wulfman, CMO, OneCare Vermont

Health Service Area Executive Consultations

We recently revised the data delivery style, the content, and our engagement accountabilities with our health service area (HSA) members at our periodic HSA consultations. In the last quarter of 2021, we asked our data and analytics team to create a more actionable presentation template to promote dialogue and inspire action.

We begin each consultation with strengths and opportunities, support these points with data, invite conversation, and ask for commitment to action for quality and utilization improvement. Leaders from our quality and analytics departments then hold follow-up HSA Oversight and Accountability meetings. We are also requesting each HSA clearly define its population health team, including some who have decision-making roles, to ensure alignment. With this cadence and follow-through, we hope to accelerate positive change in quality of care, stewardship of resources and cost containment, and coordination of the care delivered in each community.

In the next quarter, we plan to:

  • Extend the attendance at HSA consultations to include executive leaders from our continuum of care and independent partners;
  • Focus on HSA-specific care coordination activities and practices to prepare for proposed changes to our program in 2023; and
  • Communicate the OneCare Population Health Model proposed for 2023.

The People at OneCare Vermont

I have been impressed by the knowledge of my colleagues at OneCare Vermont and with their dedication to our work.  However, what has surprised me the most is how much they care about doing the right thing for the people of Vermont—for patient care first of all, but also for our economy. This caring extends beyond OneCare staff. Members of our Patient and Family Advisory Committee care deeply about these same topics. Our Board cares deeply. We have members who work sincerely to bring about the reform in healthcare that we truly need.  It is rewarding to be here, working with all of you, and I thank you.

For more information:

Please contact Public Affairs at OneCare Vermont. public@onecarevt.org | 802-847-1346

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