Vermont Business Magazine OneCare Vermont has partnered with statewide health organizations to launch an online learning system for Vermonters and health care providers. Vermont Health Learn (VTHL) was developed in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Blueprint for Health within the Department of Vermont Health Access.
OneCare implemented Vermont Health Learn in 2019. Though the decision to create the learning system was made before the pandemic began, its launch was well-timed. “When the need arose for online programming due to COVID-19, we were able to take action and begin uploading content immediately,” said Rebecca O’Reilly, health systems program administrator with the Health Department. OneCare hosts and maintains VTHL and shares it with partner organizations. “Given the immediate needs brought about by the pandemic, it was very prudent of OneCare to reach out to share training and access to Vermont Health Learn,” said O’Reilly.
The platform gives program leaders and participants an online hub for course materials and discussions, and it also offers a live, virtual meeting space for classes. “The feeling of security for participants, as well as for the course leader, using this platform is wonderful,” said Walter Ziske, who leads sessions of the Diabetes Prevention Program through the Blueprint for Health’s self-management program.
The Health Department has been working with UVM Medical Center’s Community Health Improvement and the Blueprint to transition Blueprint-funded self-management and prevention programming from in-person to online, providing increased program accessibility. “Vermont Health Learn is simple enough for just about anyone to use. This is incredibly important to the Diabetes Prevention Program because our participants come from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, education levels, and technological experiences,” said O’Reilly.
In addition, the Blueprint is using Vermont Health Learn for their statewide Medication Assisted Treatment Learning Collaborative, which supports the Blueprint’s nationally recognized Hub and Spoke model for treating people with opioid use disorder. Participants in the course can access recordings, slides, and handouts easily and on their own schedule after the virtual training sessions.
Many learners are enrolled in multiple Vermont Health Learn courses.
“It’s been helpful to have multiple educational offerings happening in one spot, and under one login account per user,” said Brianna Nalley, project administrator at the Blueprint.
OneCare is offering a diverse range of courses to benefit clinicians and the community. In the Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Best Practices course, experts from across Vermont present best practices for diagnosing and treating patients with asthma and COPD. Adoption of best practices will, in turn, support Vermont in improving quality of care for patients and attaining progress in the State’s population health goals as detailed within the All-Payer Model agreement. OneCare participants can access training modules for data and reporting tools including the COVID-19 Care Coordination Prioritization App, a tool OneCare developed to help clinicians identify Vermonters who are at greatest risk for COVID-19.
To learn more and to enroll in Vermont Health Learn courses open to the public, visit catalog.vthl.org.
To enroll in free a self-management program, visit http://myhealthyvt.org.
About OneCare Vermont
OneCare Vermont is a provider-led Accountable Care Organization working to improve the health of Vermonters and lower health care costs. OneCare partners with health insurance companies, hospitals, independent medical practices, and community collaborators to offer programs that pay for positive outcomes and health care activities. OneCare gives doctors and other providers access to data, resources, and tools to improve patient health. Health care providers participating in OneCare pool resources and expertise to help Vermonters become healthier and stay healthier, and focus on improving access to primary care, reducing deaths from suicide and drug overdose, and managing chronic illnesses. By sharing information and working together, providers can do even more to deliver the best care to patients.
Source: OneCare Vermont 7.27.2020