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Vermont Business Magazine E4H Environments for Health Architecture, an architecture firm focused exclusively on healthcare, today released seven predictions for healthcare facility design trends in 2018. “From Emergency Departments to micro-hospitals, to the amenities in and locations of hospitals, the year ahead will see continued changes in how healthcare providers are designing and equipping their facilities to meet both patient and market needs,” said Jason Carney, AIA, E4H Partner. “Add in the pressures of rapidly evolving regulations and payment models, and healthcare design has never been more dynamic than it is now.”

Following are seven top design trends in healthcare for 2018, as envisioned by E4H partners from across the country:

Behavioral Health Drives Emergency Department Reconfigurations

Vermont Business Magazine After months of working on a solution to a breast cancer screening impediment, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) wants all Vermont women to know that a state law passed in 2013, which eliminated out of pocket cost sharing for screening mammograms and any “call-back” mammograms, is now fully operational.

Despite being state law for four years, some Vermont women were still being billed when they had to go back to the doctor’s office for a “call-back” or follow up mammogram. Approximately 10 percent of women who have screening mammograms are “called back” or asked to return to their provider for additional imaging. After a thorough analysis, in which ACS CAN worked with Vermont providers and Vermont insurance carriers, it was determined that the way call back mammograms were coded was the reason women continue to face bills for the follow-up imaging.

Vermont Business Magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) reminds Vermonters of its high-ranking Medicare Part D prescription drug plan options. BCBSVT, in a joint venture with three other New England Blue plans, contracts with the federal government to offer prescription drug coverage, calledBlue MedicareRx^SM(PDP). Earlier this fall, the company reported that Blue MedicareRx (PDP) is the only individual prescription drug plan (PDP) in Vermont, and greater New England, to achieve a five-star rating^[i]for 2018 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The five-star rating means the highest possible ranking for quality, access and member satisfaction. (See disclaimer 1.)

Vermont Business MagazineOn December 1, 2017 community members, chaplaincy volunteers, and staff gathered to celebrate the dedication of the new Chun Chapel at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph. The original chapel, created in 1996 to honor the memory of beloved Gifford Surgeon Kwang Ho Chung, was relocated during hospital renovations in 2015 that created new private patient rooms.

The new chapel is located near the hospital’s inpatient unit and is available for patients, visitors, and staff.It features a stained glass window from the original chapel, built by Jim Kennedy and Laudel Slack, and new glass side panels especially created for the new space by Randolph artist Phil Godenschwager.

Vermont Business Magazine Led by Physical Education Professor Steven Lulek, Castleton University students will be giving back to the local community while learning valuable hands-on training skills by teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to local Castleton Elementary School children.“Teaching is a great way to ensure your skills are solid, save someone’s life, instill confidence, and show that life is bigger than us,” said Lulek.

Castleton students will be educating the elementary children on the importance of knowing CPR, as well as demonstrating the proper techniques to perform the skill. The process, which Lulek hopes to continue to incorporate regularly into his teachings, will be an integrated learning experience for both the Castleton University and Elementary School students.

Vermont Business MagazineBurlington-based Dealer.com and White Ops, the market leader in automated threat prevention, have announced a partnership to combat advertising fraud that will enable a superior return on investment for automotive industry advertisers. Dealer.com is the first automotive-focused advertising provider to partner with White Ops. The partnership will allow Dealer.com to send all programmatic advertising requests through White Ops' MediaGuard technology and, within milliseconds, be informed as to whether an impression is being served to a human. Dealer.com will block all programmatic advertising opportunities that originate from non-humans (i.e. bots), prior to the payment of the advertising impression.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Governor Scott, Attorney General Donovan, Legislators representing Bennington and North Bennington, and community leaders connected the first home affected by perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA) contamination to the newly constructed waterline extension. This marks a significant milestone in Vermont’s response to the contamination that impacted hundreds of homes across the two communities. Construction will continue in North Bennington and the western portion of Bennington through the next year while the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) oversees an expedited investigation in eastern Bennington.

“Today marks significant progress, and I’m proud that the state and communities have come together to reach this important day,” said Governor Phil Scott. “That said, we will not stop until all impacted residents have safe, clean drinking water.”

Vermont Business MagazineSouthern Vermont College (SVC) announced today that it has been given the Bennington Center for the Arts (BCA) and a significant portion of the collections it houses. This gift, the largest in SVC’s history, provides a transformative opportunity for new programs to engage students and the community and to increase SVC’s visibility as a critical contributor to Bennington’s cultural renaissance.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Pico Mountain, part of the POWDR adventure lifestyle company, is scheduled to kick off its 2017-18 winter season at 9 am on Friday, December 15 2017. The fifth annual Opening Weekend Food Raiser will take place on December 16-17, 2017 when discounted lift tickets will be provided in exchange for food donations for low-income Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has appointed Mary Daly of Peacham to serve on the Vermont Commission on Women (VCW), the state’s non-partisan commission working to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls. Born in St Johnsbury and raised on a dairy farm in Peacham, Daly is a graduate of Peacham Academy and the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital School of Nursing.

“Mary has a long history of public service, and has demonstrated a deep commitment to her community. She’s worked to make a difference in the lives of Vermonters, and shown leadership in protecting the vulnerable – a priority for my administration,” said Scott. “This commitment and experience will be valuable to the Commission and the critical role it plays for women and Vermont. I thank Mary for her willingness to serve once again.”

Vermont Business MagazineA New Jersey financial firm is anticipating more ski resort mergers, following a flurry of such activity earlier this year that led to some of Vermont's largest resorts changing hands or engaging in ski ticket sharing. Condor Capital sees a strong economy backed by good snowfall as a recipe for continued competition between Vail and Aspen. Already in 2017, Vail bought Stowe Mountain Resort and Stratton was part of a complex deal that makes it part of Aspen. Meanwhile, Sugarbush, still independently owned and operated, has partnered with Aspen on some sharing of ski passes.

Vermont Business MagazineDavis & Hodgdon Associate CPAs is pleased to announce their inclusion in Accounting Today’s 2017 Top 100 List of Best Accounting Firms to work for. With offices in Williston and Rutland, the Vermont-based CPA firm is listed in the 34th spot of the “Best Small Firms to Work For” (15-49 employees). “It’s truly an honor to receive this recognition at a national level”, said John W. Davis, Managing Partner. “We realize and appreciate that our people are our greatest asset.”

For the full article from Accounting Today pleaseclick here.