Across the country, Medicare beneficiaries who signed up for traditional medicare to avoid networks, excessive prior authorizations, and dangerous denials of care are finding themselves being "aligned" with "value-based care." These programs are only valuable to the middlemen who run them. They are low value to patients and clinicians while draining the Medicare trust fund far faster than would happen without them. The Green Mountain Care Board is determining whether to approve the budget for one of these right here in Vermont.
Register here for a 7 PM video conference on Wednesday, November 29th on "ACO REACH in Medicare in Vermont: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpfuqppj4vGNGam4_fljTgrX8X62PDuoQh
On November 15, 2023, a New York-based firm, "Vytalize Health," made a presentation to the Green Mountain Care Board requesting GMCB support for the budget for their implementation of an "ACO REACH" entity in the Mountain Community Health Center in Bristol, and the clinics of Little Rivers in Orange County. The ACO REACH model transforms the financial flows that primary care practices face in their care of patients covered through traditional Medicare, with the goal of cutting costs. Vytalize is a for-profit firm, funded with private equity capital. Because they are a Medicare-only ACO, they do not need GMCB certification for the model, only approval for the budget. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) is responsible for the certification.
Dr. Betty Keller, M.D., president of Vermont Physicians for a National Health Program (VT PNHP), and Dr. Marvin Malek, M.D., MPH, an internist in Berlin, Vermont, and past president of VT PNHP, will lead the discussion and take questions after their presentation. The program will be recorded and available for viewing on NEAT TV website and on Comcast CH108.
This plan is also referred to as the ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Model. You can read about this at the following link, https://pnhp.org/corporations-are-reaching-for-traditional-medicare/
The GMCB public comment period ends at "noon" on Tuesday, December 5th. To submit a comment to the Green Mt. Care Board, regarding approval for the budget for this ACO, go to this link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=O5O0IK26PEOcAnDtzHVZxm2sWssBnnJHpO34bJFS[...]Wcu
The Bristol Democratic Party is hosting this event. For more information, contact Christine Homer, Bristol Democratic Committee town chair at BristolVtDemocrats@gmail.com
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Burlington Writers - Middlebury ChapterJul 9, 2024, 6:30 to 8:30 PM