Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), ranked fourth out of 3,282 hospitals nationwide for value of care, according to the Lown Institute Hospitals Index. The hospital also earned an A+ overall, highest among Vermont’s 10 hospitals. According to the Lown Institute website, some hospitals provide health care services that are unnecessary, expensive, and even harmful. Unneeded or ineffective procedures, tests, scans, and medications can cause physical harm and waste resources. This overuse is known as low-value care. The practice increases healthcare costs and puts patients at risk. The index evaluates how often hospitals deliver 13 commonly overused services, including over prescribing, over screening, and unnecessary procedures. It grades the hospitals based on the likelihood that they are delivering care appropriately.

Vermont Business Magazine A new book by Billie Lynn Allard, MS, RN, FAAN, follows her and her team at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) as they attempt to solve the most pressing healthcare delivery problems in America today. Titled INSPIREd Healthcare, the book is available now from Sigma Publishing.

Vermont Business Magazine Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the August schedule is more susceptible to change. Please check the GMCB website for the updated press release and agendas.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020: Board Meeting (1:00 pm)

• GMCB Geographic Reporting: The Use and Cost of Health Care Services for Vermonters and Access Patterns for VT Hospitals
• Hospital Sustainability Plans – Potential Vote

*Presenters and Board Members will be participating by phone and web presentation. Call-in number: (802) 828-7667 Dial-in number: 264 725 72#. To join the meeting via the Microsoft Teams application, click here: Join Microsoft Teams Meeting. Please remember to mute yourself when you are not speaking.

Vermont Business Magazine We’ll be shining a light on the health care heroes during National Health Center Week August 9-15, said Jill Jesso-White, Community Health community relations specialist. Community Health is spotlighting the dedication and inspiration provided by the clinical and non-clinical workers who make high quality health care accessible to everyone in the community.

Vermont Business Magazine For the second year in a row, Rutland Regional Medical Center has been recognized as a High Performing Hospital for Adult Knee Replacement, and has also been named a High Performing Hospital for Adult Hip Replacement for 2020-2021 by U.S. News & World Report. More than 4500 Medical Centers nationwide were evaluated in ten procedures and conditions with fewer than one third of all hospitals receiving any high-performance rating.

Rutland Regional is the only hospital in Vermont to earn a “High Performing” rating for both Adult Knee Replacement and Hip Replacement. These awards were given in recognition of care that was significantly better than the national average as measured by factors such as patient outcomes. “High Performing” is the highest-ranking U.S. News & World Report awards for that type of care.

by Rob Roper A number of public school teachers and administrators have recently raised serious concerns about re-opening schools this fall. Harwood Union Superintendent, Brigid Nease, just penned a 2225 word letter sounding the alarm about the overwhelming challenges facing the system. Then on July 30, the House Education Committee held a three plus hour special meeting to hear from school officials about how they are preparing to open for the coming school year. All indications are this experiment won’t end well.

Vermont Business Magazine The Spirit of the Summer Gala—an event designed to bring the Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) community safely together in a virtual way—welcomed more than 400 attendees and raised more than $78,000 July 17 – 31, 2020.

“The Spirit of the Summer Gala was an incredible success by all measures,” said Leslie Keefe, the vice president of Corporate Development at SVHC. “It was so inspiring and just what the community needed at this time.”

The event included a video presentation from SVHC leaders and a concert by world-renowned vocalist Maxine Linehan. The event’s highlight was the debut of an original song Linehan and her husband, songwriter, and producer Andrew Koss wrote together. It is called “Stronger Together.” Written specifically for the event, the song honors of frontline healthcare workers locally and worldwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Communities in Vermont are kicking off World Breastfeeding Week on August first, with an invitation to join with others across the globe to celebrate, promote and learn more about breastfeeding, chestfeeding, lactation, and infant and maternal health. Throughout the week the Department of Health will be highlighting the importance of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls “the clinical gold standard for infant feeding and nutrition.”

Vermont Business Magazine Effective this past Saturday, August 1, people in Vermont are required to wear a face mask or covering in public spaces any time it is not possible to keep a 6-foot distance from others who are not part of your household. This includes both indoor and outdoor public spaces and group living settings (for example, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, apartment and condo complexes). The Vermont Department of Health reported today one new case of COVID-19 for a statewide total of 1,427. There is one person hospitalized and deaths remain at 57.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s nonprofit hospitals filed budget requests with the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) on Friday for the coming fiscal year, kicking off the annual hospital budget review process. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS), which represents the system of hospitals, called these budgets “recovery budgets,” after years of financial challenges intensified by COVID-19. Hospitals experienced significant loss of revenue when they were forced to shut down elective procedures beginning in mid-March. At the same time, hospitals incurred substantial unplanned but lifesaving expenses in response to the pandemic such as retrofitting space, creating new staffing models and purchasing expensive and hard-to-find protective equipment. While extremely disruptive and costly, this work, in which hospitals collaborated with state and community partners, has been lauded as a model for the nation.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, today reported its financial results for the three and six month period ended June 30, 2020. The company also reintroduced guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020, fiscal year 2020. Revenues were $188.8 million for the quarter, up $1.3 million, or up 0.7%, from the same period in 2019. Net income was $12.1 million for the quarter, up $0.2 million, or up 1.7%, from the same period in 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is urging safety for customers as forecasts call for heavy rains and strong winds as Tropical Storm Isaias moves up the East Coast Tuesday. Meteorologists call this a fast moving storm that will weaken as it moves over land, yet still is forecasted to possibly cause flash flooding with rains of one to four inches as it sweeps over Bennington County and heads northeast and over the Connecticut River valley in Vermont starting Tuesday.