Governor Peter Shumlin and the leadership of the Vermont Health Care Innovation Project (VHCIP) announced today the award of seven grants totaling $2,653,145 to promote health care innovation throughout the state.
The grants will support projects that advance the three core strategies of the VHCIP:
- Changing health care provider payment so that it is based on the value of services provided to Vermonters, in terms of appropriate care and improved health, and not simply on the volume of services;
- Developing a statewide system of care coordination and management that ensures Vermonters get the best health care at the right time, without gaps, duplication or confusion;
- Expanding Vermont’s system of interoperable electronic medical records to ensure that providers and patients have the information they need, when they need it.
“The organizations receiving these grants are stepping up to create a better health care system in Vermont,” said Governor Peter Shumlin.“This is a fundamental underpinning of my health reform plan – a changed system of care delivery and provider payment, supported by the best health information technology possible. This is what we need to make health care affordable for future generations of Vermonters.”
Anya Rader Wallack, Chair of the VHCIP, explained that the grant-supported projects will both reduce costs and improve care through unique community-based collaborations. “We can learn from what these grantees do and improve quality and reduce costs for all Vermonters,” Wallack said.
The grants include:
- $400,000 to the RISE Coalition for the development of a community-wide, multi-stakeholder campaign to improve the health of Franklin County residents;
- $193,000 to the Developmental Disabilities Council and Green Mountain Self Advocates to improve delivery of health services to adult Vermonters with developmental disabilities;
- $900,000 to the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care to improve the quality of surgical care in Vermont and reduce complications from surgery;
- $400,000 to Southwestern Medical Center to support patient self-management of chronic conditions in southwestern Vermont;
- $500,000 to providers in Central Vermont to expand substance use screening, intervention and treatment protocols;
- $200,000 to Healthfirst to enhance the capacity of independent physicians to participate in health care innovation;
- $60,145 to InvestEAP, with King Arthur Flour, to test the return-on-investment of behavioral health screening and follow-up in the workplace.
The provider innovation grants are made possible by federal funding for VHCIP through the “State Innovation Model” (SIM) program administered by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI). CMMI created the SIM initiative for states that are committed to planning, designing and testing new payment and service delivery models as part of larger health system transformation. CMMI granted Vermont $45 million over three years to support the Vermont Health Care Innovation Project. This is the second round of sub-grants provided under the project.
Source: Governor's office. 10.24.2014. For more information about the grant awards, contact Georgia Maheras at 802-505-5137 or [email protected].