Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Green Mountain Care Board set 2024 budget targets for OneCare Vermont. The budget targets outline GMCB’s expectations for increased accountability for health care costs and improving accountability for health care quality at the provider level. The targets for OneCare’s 2024 budget submission include requiring OneCare to hold 100% of Medicare Advanced Shared Savings dollars as risk at the entity level (up from approximately 40% in 2023) instead of passing this risk along to the provider network. This target protects providers in OneCare’s Medicare payer program from outsized risk associated with this federal money, which funds the statewide Blueprint and SASH programs.

Vermont State Police On July 14, 2023, at approximately 2:15 AM the Newbury and Corinth Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire at a single-family residence located at 2464 Bowen Rd in Newbury. When fire crews arrived, they discovered the structure fully involved in fire. Fire crews learned that all occupants had initially made it safely out of the residence, but James Lacount went back inside to retrieve car keys in hopes of moving a vehicle away from the burning building. Lacount never returned and soon after the structure collapsed. Defensive firefighting actions were taken, and the fire was extinguished.   

Vermont Business Magazine NextGen Healthcare, Inc, an electronic health record technology vendor, has agreed to pay $31 million to resolve allegations that NextGen violated the False Claims Act by misrepresenting the capabilities of certain versions of its EHR software and providing unlawful remuneration to its users to induce them to recommend NextGen’s software. The case against NextGen, which has done business in Vermont, was filed in federal court in Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Flood events require work within rivers and streams to protect and repair human investments and related infrastructure. Towns have the authority to implement Emergency Protective Measures to protect public safety when a flood occurs. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regulates activities in rivers and streams to ensure that work does not create additional flood hazards. The most common issue after a flood is over-dredging of rivers or excessive streambank filling.

Vermont Business Magazine As we all watched Vermont communities become inundated with flood waters after an unprecedented rainfall on Monday and Tuesday, our thoughts are with all Vermonters and their families who are recovering from this devastating event. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) has assembled important guidance and resources for the state’s agricultural members and communities to facilitate recovery.

Vermont Business Magazine As parts of Vermont continue to recover from the record-setting floods, and monitors forecasts for additional impact, Comcast has opened more than 12,600 Xfinity WiFi hotspots across Vermont to help residents and emergency personnel stay connected. The hotspots will be available for free to anyone who needs them, including non-Xfinity customers.

Vermont Business Magazine The destruction of homes and communities in the aftermath of recent Vermont flooding is tragic, and the cleanup itself creates the potential for serious and long-lasting threats to health, the American Lung Association warns. The Lung Association stresses the importance of beginning the cleanup effort as soon as flood waters recede, and it is safe to return. Chemicals, sewage, oil, gas and other dangerous substances found in floodwaters can pose health risks to area residents. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of workers responding to recent flooding incidents in Vermont. The aftermath of a flood presents numerous hazards such as electrical dangers, fallen trees and debris, mold, and carbon monoxide exposure. Employers are reminded that safeguarding worker safety is of utmost importance, and VOSHA is equipped with valuable resources to protect workers from these potential risks associated with flood response operations. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Own WCAX Channel 3, Vermont’s CBS affiliate, will broadcast the National Life Group Do Good Fest on Saturday, July 15 from 6 – 9 p.m. and co-host the event with Star 92.9. In response to this week’s catastrophic flooding, the National Life Group Do Good Fest has been transformed into this online only event.

Vermont Business Magazine Recovering from this week’s flooding event will be a challenge for many Vermonters across the state. Cleaning up and disposing of items damaged by floodwaters is yet another painstaking task. Unfortunately, along with the damaged belongings from your home or business lurks hazardous items, such as paint, chemicals, oil, gas, pesticides, caustic cleaners, and other materials.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CWST), one of the largest recyclers and most experienced fully integrated resource management companies in the Eastern United States, recently honored six of its customers for their leadership in sustainability as part of Casella’s annual Sustainability Leadership Awards. The Casella Sustainability Leadership Awards represent innovation and commitment to creating a better tomorrow by showcasing each recipients’ sustainable material management practices. Recipients were selected from a range of segments, including municipalities, colleges and universities, industrial manufacturers, food and beverage producers, and more.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College Online has launched four new career-focused online programs available to students, expanding its existing catalog of more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates. The new Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs are designed to empower students to accomplish their career goals in innovative and accessible ways.