The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded the state a $45 million grant to expand Vermont’s health information technology capacity and test new payment reform models that are aimed at improving the value of care.
Vermont is one of six states across the United States to receive a State Innovation Model grant, which will be paid out over the next 42 months.
The SIM grant, as it is frequently called, is supposed to help the state build infrastructure that will gauge the impact of health care policies and help providers shift from a fee-for-service payment model to one that is based on the quality of outcomes.
The grant will pay for consultants’ fees and salaries for new staff positions at the Agency of Human Services and the Green Mountain Care Board.
The state’s original application for $60 million was shaved down by 25 percent at the request of the federal government. Anya Rader Wallack, who chairs the Green Mountain Care Board, said the reduction in grant funds will result in fewer new staff members and consultants to help implement new data and payment models.
For more information on the state’s grant application, click here.
