Vermont wins $45M federal health grant

MONTPELIER — Vermont has won a $45 million grant under a federal program designed to bring new efficiencies to state health care programs.
Gov. Peter Shumlin says the announcement of the grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid is a big boost to the state’s efforts to retool its health care system.
Money is expected to support ongoing efforts in the state to create unified health care networks designed to get a better handle on costs.
It’s also expected to support a bundled-payment system in which services connected with a patient’s hospitalization are paid for in one lump sum, and pay-for-performance, in which health care providers are paid for achieving set quality indicators.