Medical Directors
Medical Director Certification
PALTMed offers a voluntary, comprehensive Medical Director certification course. VHCA has limited funds available to support certification for Medical Directors who newly enroll in the course. Contact Helen (hlabun@vhca.net) for details.
Quality & Regulatory
In April, 2025, updates to CMS surveyor guidance added greater scrutiny to the Medical Director role. Areas specified for closer review include:
- Implementing resident care plans
- Intervening when care is inconsistent with current accepted standards
- Implementing policies related to anti-psychotic use – note that the most recent revision to the new guidance also includes updates to psychotropic medication use
- Updating current policies to meet these new standards
- Surveyors are instructed in several places to interview Medical Directors as part of their process
AHCA provides members with a summary of actions to review for Medical Director compliance linked here (requires login). AHCA also provides a Medical Director Toolkit.
VHCA presented a Medical Director compliance webinar on Oct 30, 2025, with Cat Selman – the slides are found here.
Physician Access
In 2025, VHCA contracted with the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (NETRC) to develop a roadmap of ways to better utilize telehealth for accessing physician services in Vermont.
Connecting Care: A Roadmap for Telehealth in Vermont Nursing Homes
In 2024, Vantage Healthcare presented case studies of technology use for physician engagement at the VHCA Annual Conference
Innovative Technology & Physician Engagement
Medical Director Costs
Zimmet Health Services Group – Medical Director Cost Review & Policy Recommendations
SNF – Hospital Coordination
VHCA is excited to be partnering with VPQHC on a project to understand, and address, barriers to effective communication between hospitals and nursing homes when evaluating admissions and care plans for transferring patients. This work will kick off in August, 2026, and be shared once complete.