Two Reports Show Early, Significant Health Care Reform Progress in Vermont

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2019
Contact: Amy Bodette, 802-847-7364
 
Two Reports Show Early, Significant Health Care Reform Progress in Vermont:
Access to early childhood developmental screenings are up, emergency department visits and inpatient admissions are down, and $97 million in Medicaid savings over three years
 
Two recent reports issued by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) federal evaluator, RTI International, and The Milbank Quarterly show early significant progress in health care reform.  Vermont was one of six states to leverage federal government State Innovation Models (SIM) funds to accelerate health care reform and implement accountable care organizations.
“These findings validate the efforts of the provider community in Vermont to change the way health care is paid for and delivered.  This foundation provides the right momentum to build on the early successes of reform.  The OneCare community of providers is proud of our contributions to this progress,” said Kevin Stone, Interim Chief Executive Officer of OneCare Vermont.
Key Findings:
·      Vermont had the most promising results in reducing high-cost service use
·      Only Vermont demonstrated slower growth in Medicaid expenditures, yielding $97 million in Medicaid savings over three years
·      Vermont was the only state to achieve significant coordination across payers
·      Significant reductions in emergency department visits and inpatient admission to the hospital
 
“It is heartening and reassuring to see these results as early evidence that our health care reform work is not only reducing costs, but also producing better care and outcomes for both patients and providers,” said Jeff Tieman, President and CEO of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. “Vermont’s non-profit hospitals are investing in primary care, building and enhancing community partnerships, focusing on wellness and addressing the social determinants of health to surround patients with the right care and support.”
“The SIM funding created an opportunity to bring together the community of providers and caregivers in an unprecedented way.  The partnerships formed through this work resulted in improved care for Vermonters,” said Judy Peterson, President and CEO, University of Vermont Health Network Home Health and Hospice.
Vermont is in the third year of a five year All Payer Accountable Care Organization model designed to improve health, increase quality of care, and lower costs.  The report authors concluded that “Although still in its early implementation phase, Vermont’s All-Payer ACO Model, which was developed under and informed by the SIM Initiative, is expected to continue the momentum of payment and delivery model reform across the state.”
The full report can be found at https://downloads.cms.gov/files/cmmi/sim-rd1-mt-fifthannrpt.pdfand a summary can be found at https://innovation.cms.gov/Files/reports/sim-mt-fg-fifthannrpt.pdf.
 
 
About OneCare Vermont ACO
OneCare is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) working with Medicare (Next Generation Model), Vermont Medicaid, Commercial, and Self-Funded insurance programs to improve the health of Vermonters and lower health care costs. Established as an ACO in 2013 by Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the University of Vermont Medical Center, the OneCare network in 2019 includes the communities of Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Lebanon, Middlebury, Montpelier, Newport, Randolph, Rutland, Springfield, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, and Windsor. OneCare Vermont comprises an extensive network of providers, including hospitals in Vermont and New Hampshire, hundreds of primary and specialty care physicians, skilled nursing facilities, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Home Health Agencies, Area Agencies on Aging, and Designated Agencies for Mental Health and Substance Use. Over 172,000 Vermonters receive care from a provider in the OneCare network.
 
 
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