FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 26, 2024
Colchester, Vt., – After a successful first round of funding, OneCare Vermont (OneCare) has introduced eleven new waivers, building on the six projects funded earlier this year. Following the receipt of additional strong applications, OneCare decided to extend funding to these eleven new initiatives. In total, OneCare allocated $343,000 in 2024 to support delivery system projects designed to advance quality improvement goals. These waivers are focused on enhancing access to mental health care, reducing hospital readmissions, increasing preventive care, and improving overall healthcare accessibility for Vermonters.
OneCare, as an accountable care organization participating in Vermont’s All-Payer Model, has been provided waivers to make it easier for the health care providers who work with OneCare to deliver high quality care to Vermonters. These waivers provide flexibility and freedom from some of the stringent regulatory requirements typically imposed on health care providers, allowing them to create and implement innovative programs aimed at enhancing both the quality and accessibility of care. This year alone over 1,000 patients have benefited from existing waivers and this additional funding will allow OneCare participants to further increase the number of Vermonters receiving more personalized, patient-centered care.
“We are proud to have been able to increase our funding pool from the initial round at the start of this year. These waivers present an important strategy in creating efficiency and efficacy in our health care delivery system and in providing the funding to remove barriers to the quality of care patients deserve,” commented Dr. Carrie Wulfman, OneCare chief medical officer. “From offering lifestyle medicine and nutrition services for preventive care to enhancing follow-up care after hospital visits, these initiatives help ensure Vermonters receive timely and appropriate care tailored to their needs.”
The eleven waiver projects will allow for the following initiatives:
- Addison County Home Health and Hospice (HHH), Porter Hospital, and Helen Porter Skilled Nursing Home: Addison County HHH’s wound care nurse will visit Porter or Helen Porter to follow patients who are admitted from home health with specialized wound care needs. The nurse will also help provide education and support to other caregivers.
- Brattleboro Memorial Hospital/Rescue Inc.: The hospital and ambulance company will implement a community paramedic program that will follow COPD patients after discharge to provide check ins and potentially in-home care to avoid emergency department or inpatient visits.
- Chittenden County Practice: The practice will contract with a child psychiatrist to provide weekly consultation, expertise, and support for its integrative care team.
- Richmond Family Medicine: The practice will engage a nutritionist to provide patients with nutrition services including lifestyle change classes where neuroscience meets nutrition science, workshops, and handouts.
- Evergreen Family Health: The practice will purchase and deploy a retinal screening machine at one of their practices to screen diabetic and other at-risk patients.
- Rutland Regional Medical Center: Rutland will provide patients with services and/or equipment to facilitate discharge from inpatient or emergency department care. This includes transportation, paying for medications at nursing homes, and home equipment.
- Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC): Once a child screens positive for developmental delay, SVMC will provide services such as rides to appointments, and equipment (e.g. adaptive car seats) for the family to meet the child’s care plan.
- Thomas Chittenden Health Center: The practice will provide continuous glucose monitors (CGM) to its patients who are diabetic but do not qualify for CGM insurance coverage.
- The University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC): UVMMC will purchase and provide adaptive equipment and mobility devices to patients to facilitate discharges from inpatient or emergency department to home or step-down care.
- The University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN): UVMHN and Region 3 EMS will implement a pilot of paying EMS for non-emergent care provided in the field. After making a telehealth supported determination that a patient is non-emergent and does not need transport, EMS may treat the patient as permitted and will be paid for that treatment.
- UVMHN will pay EMS District 3 ambulance crews a set fee for responding and treating in place patients who are non-emergent and can safely be treated without transport to the emergency department.
- The UVMHN Population Health Services Organization (PHSO) will use the funding to purchase validated blood pressure cuffs they will give to patients as part of a comprehensive hypertension management program.
OneCare Vermont brings together over 5,000 health care providers throughout the state of Vermont to improve the quality of Vermont’s healthcare system. Waivers are available to OneCare’s provider partners throughout 2025.
For more information
Please contact Public Affairs at OneCare Vermont. public@onecarevt.org | 802-847-1346
To stay up-to-date on OneCare, please visit our newsroom and our social media channel on LinkedIn.