Sunil (“Sunny”) Eappen, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the University of Vermont Health Network and clinical professor of anesthesiology at the Larner College of Medicine

(JULY 3, 2024) Sunil (“Sunny”) Eappen, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the University of Vermont Health Network and clinical professor of anesthesiology at the Larner College of Medicine, commented in a VTDigger article on the selection of Vermont to take part in a federal health care reform model known as AHEAD.

The All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model, which Vermont could begin in 2026, is intended to cut health care expenditures, increase investments in primary health care, and shift how hospitals are reimbursed for care they provide. The Vermont state and federal government have yet to settle on the specifics of a program.

“The selection of Vermont by (the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to begin the detailed process of negotiating and building an AHEAD model agreement is an important step in determining whether this program is the right fit to support the delivery of high quality and equitable care to our patients,” Eappen said.

AHEAD would also direct more funding toward participating primary care practices and would require Vermont to create a “health equity plan” to cut down on health care disparities across the state, according to the program criteria.

Those investments in primary care would aim to “increase overall capacity for care coordination and connection to community resources, improve quality, offer whole person-centered care, and minimize provider burden,” according to a program fact sheet.

The selection of Vermont does not guarantee that the state will ultimately participate in the AHEAD model. Instead, officials will work with the federal government to hash out a more detailed plan by July 1, 2025. 

If Vermont decides to move forward with AHEAD, the program would begin in 2026 and run through 2034.

This topic was also covered by the (West Lebanon, N.H.) Valley News, the Rutland Herald, the Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus, NBC5, and other media outlets.