Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Medicaid topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DVHA commissioner outlines Medicaid, Vermont Health Connect and priorities for payment and IT modernization
Summary
Commissioner Sean Gross summarized the Department of Vermont Health Access's role as a major state insurer: administering Medicaid and Vermont Health Connect, advancing value-based payment, modernizing IT and overseeing waiver implementation.
Sean Gross, Commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA), briefed the Senate Health & Welfare Committee on DVHA's role administering Medicaid, Vermont Health Connect and related value-based payment and IT priorities.
Why it matters: DVHA is a major state payer and the Medicaid administrator; changes to eligibility systems, payment models or the global commitment waiver would affect provider finances and access to care for Medicaid enrollees.
Gross said DVHA is one of Vermont's largest insurers, administering publicly funded health insurance programs and acting as the state's Medicaid payer. He described three primary strategic goals for the agency: advance value-based payment models focused on outcomes, modernize information-technology and enrollment infrastructure (including Vermont Health Connect), and pursue operational improvement internally.
Gross and Alex O'Gracken (director of communications and legislative affairs) told the committee DVHA is responsible for Medicaid program administration, Vermont Health Connect marketplace operations, and for coordinating with the Agency of Human Services and the Green Mountain Care Board on waiver and system-level initiatives. Gross noted DVHA's role as the principal contact on the global commitment waiver and said the department would be the point of contact for committee questions about waiver details.
Committee members flagged near-term topics they intend to pursue with DVHA: Act 167 transformation and integration of acute and community services, Medicaid eligibility and integrated-benefit design across safety-net programs, and relationships with commercial insurers and the Green Mountain Care Board.
Gross summarized his background in health policy and program operations and said DVHA uses internal dashboards and scorecards to track progress on payment reform, IT modernization and provider stability initiatives.
Ending: Gross said he and his team would return to the committee for more detailed discussions of specific policy elements, including the global commitment waiver, Act 167 implementation, and IT modernization plans.
