Current News

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Three Vermont lawmakers rejected a public records request from a mental health advocate for email communication about a bill that would change the judicial review process for involuntary treatment and medication of psychiatric patients.
The request, filed by Laura Ziegler, an advocate and former psychiatric patient, requested communications between lawmakers and the state’s hospital association after Nov. 15. Ziegler received the denial last Friday.
Ziegler wanted to know the degree to which input from the hospital association influenced the legislation that was eventually introduced, and to get a clear picture of the reasoning behind changes sought in S.287, the involuntary treatment and medication bill, she said.
‘I think that should be open to public scrutiny,’ Zeigler said in an interview Monday.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for December 2013 was 4.2 percent. This represents a decrease of two-tenths of a percent from the November rate of 4.4 percent. The comparative national average was 6.7 percent, which was down three-tenths of a percent from November. December 2013 data represents the third consecutive reported monthly decrease to the statewide unemployment rate in Vermont. As of the prior month’s initial data, Vermont’s unemployment rate was tied for the fifth lowest in the country.

Nearly one month after a one-year extension of legislation to protect the nation’s farming, conservation and nutrition programs expired, the US Senate and House of Representatives are poised this week to consider a final, comprehensive agriculture reform bill that will net more than $24 billion in savings, support 16 million American jobs, and make considerable progress in advancing conservation and wildlife protections.’
Vermont’s Senator Patrick Leahy (D), the most senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a member of the conference committee tasked with reconciling differences between the Senate- and House-passed bills, lauded the committee’s work. The Farm Bill will accomplish some of the most far-reaching reform of US agriculture policy in decades.’

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: BHLB) has reported record net income totaling’ $41 million’ in 2013, an increase of 24% compared to’ $33 million’ in the prior year.’ Earnings per share increased by 11% to’ $1.65’ and included the impact of shares issued in 2012 for bank acquisitions.’ Core earnings increased to a record’ $47 million’ in 2013 primarily due to the benefit of growth in’ New York’ and Eastern Massachusetts.’ Core earnings exclude net non-core charges for acquisitions, restructuring, and systems conversions.’ Core earnings per share totaled’ $1.87’ in 2013, compared to’ $1.98’ in the prior year.

by Tom Brown vtdigger.org
The union representing faculty at the University of Vermont issued a report Monday showing that administrative salaries have more than doubled in the past 10 years.
The analysis was released on the day that faculty and university officials began negotiations on a new three-year contract.
Denise Youngblood, president of UVM’s local of United Academics, said the increases amount to ‘administrative bloat,’ at the same time the university has warned faculty and staff to prepare for program cuts and layoffs.
Youngblood said that while the university is ‘pleading poverty’ in negotiations ‘it always finds money to pay themselves large salaries.’

by Morgan True vtdigger.org
Home health companies in Vermont want the Agency of Human Services to pay for telemonitoring services for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Medicare and private insurers already pay for the service, which yields significant savings by reducing hospital admissions, said Peter Cobb, director of the Vermont Assembly of Home Health and Hospice agencies.
Telemonitoring in a home health context means placing devices in the patient’s home to take vital signs and relay the information back to the home health agency. When readings are outside parameters set by a physician, a nurse is sent to the patient’s home.
It is a distinct service from telehealth or telemedicine, which generally involves video conferencing with physicians in lieu of in-person appointments.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee confirmed Al Gobeille as chair of the Green Mountain Care Board Friday after he delivered a status update on the board’s work in 2013.
Gobeille took over as chair in August when Anya Rader Wallack stepped down, taking a lucrative consulting position helping Vermont manage its $45 million federal State Innovation Model (SIM) grant.
Al Gobeille. File photo by Josh Larkin/VTDigger
Despite the Burlington restaurateur’s scant health policy background, his board colleague Dr. Allan Ramsay said he’s effectively balanced the economic imperatives of reform with its social mission to improve people’s health.
Gobeille discussed the board’s annual report, which was released earlier this month, with senators.
The board’s mandate is to reduce costs and improve the delivery of health care services in Vermont and guide the state’s transition to a universal health care system.

by Rob Roper A goal of Green Mountain Care ‘ the primary goal, according to Governor Peter Shumlin ‘ is to control the total amount of money that Vermonters pay for health care. Back in November, an’ independent report’ by Avalere Health concluded that the official estimate of $1.6 billion in new taxes necessary to replace premiums and pay for a single payer healthcare system was too low. The real number is more likely to be in the $1.9 billion to $2.2 billion range.
This is significant because, if the Avalere numbers are correct, adopting Green Mountain Care will not save Vermonters anything. The single payer system would end up costing us even more than the current system, as messed up as the current system is. There’s not a lot of room for error.

Publicity surrounding the implementation of patient decision support interventions (DESIs) traditionally focuses on two areas of improvement: helping patients make better decisions AND lowering health care spending. The use of patient decision support interventions as a means to generate health care savings has been widely advocated, but the extent and quality of evidence is unclear.
A systematic review found that the evidence for savings was not as broad or deep as suspected. In addition, an examination of the quality of the economic analyses in the studies was performed. Not surprisingly for a young field, the quality has room for improvement. An assessment of the risk of bias in each study found a moderate to high risk across the studies that found savings.

Dartmouth engineers and radiologists are developing new approaches for an emerging technique in diagnostic imaging for breast cancer’MRI with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as reported in the journal Academic Radiology, February 2014.’
Combined MRI/NIRS may benefit women whose mammogram showed an abnormality and requires further testing to rule out cancer. The test would be conducted before an invasive biopsy to look for tumors.’ For the new method to work successfully in routine patient care, MRI/NIRS must adapt to an individual’s body size as well as accommodate a range of cup sizes.’ The equipment must also mobilize and maintain contact with the breast.’

Vermont Attorney William H Sorrell is leading an effort to preserve federal, state and local control over tobacco products in a proposed Pacific-basin free trade agreement. In a letter released Monday through the National Association of Attorneys General and co-sponsored by Attorneys General Sorrell and Lawrence Wasden of Idaho, the chief law enforcement officers of 44 states and territories are calling upon the United States Trade Representative to exclude tobacco and tobacco products from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is currently under negotiation. This would preserve the ability of federal, state and local governments to regulate tobacco products to reduce their use and protect the public health.

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that he will appoint Michael Sirotkin of South Burlington to replace his late wife, Senator Sally Fox, in the Vermont Senate. The appointment was expected. Fox passed away from cancer on January 10.
Sirotkin, who started his career at Vermont Legal Aid, asked to be considered for the seat held by Fox in the Chittenden County Democratic Committee nominating process. Sirotkin was chosen as one of three nominees sent to the Governor by a large majority of the 60 Committee members who voted in the process.’ ‘ ‘
‘There were several exceptional candidates interested in this Senate seat,’ Shumlin said in a statement. ‘But Sally wanted her husband to fill her seat after her death, and recognizing Sirotkin’s strong qualifications, I’m honoring that request. I’m confident that Michael will continue the great work Sally did for the district and the state.’’