Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center, along with the UVM Health Network’s other affiliated Vermont hospitals, will present their fiscal year 2019 budgets to the Green Mountain Care Board on Wednesday, August 22, in Burlington at Contois Auditorium at City Hall 9 am. Leaders from the UVM Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center and Porter Medical Center will outline patient, employee and community priorities. The combined Network budget represents a 2.5 percent increase in year-over-year net patient revenue, below the 3.2 percent guideline issued by the GMCB.
In addition, to address the affordability of health insurance, the UVM Medical Center proposes a commercial rate growth of 4 percent. Both Central Vermont Medical Center and Porter Medical Center are proposing 2.8 percent increases.
“Budgets express an organization’s values, goals and plans through numbers,” said John Brumsted, MD, president and CEO of the UVM Health Network. “What we hope to accomplish on Wednesday is to explain how the numbers contained in our budgets allow us to make meaningful investments in our workforce, meet critical community needs and improve the lives of our patients and families.”
Hospital leaders plan to talk about their combined efforts to improve how care is delivered to patients and families across the state and region. Initiatives include:
- An improved Regional Transport System to enhance the quality and timeliness of care for critically ill patients who need to be moved urgently between hospitals.
- A new inpatient mental health care facility located on the Central Vermont Medical Center’s campus in Berlin to address mental health needs.
- Expansion of the Epic electronic medical record system to improve coordination of care.
“A close look at the budget of the UVM Medical Center paints a picture of how we’re deploying our financial and human resources strategically to improve the health of our communities,” said Eileen Whalen, MHA, RN, president and chief operating officer of the UVM Medical Center. “A perfect example of this is our Miller Building project which will enhance the healing environment through patient privacy and more room for families, and will provide our staff with the opportunity to work in a state of the art environment for patient care.”
Dr. Brumsted pointed to the growing percentage of hospital budgets supported by fixed payments through the OneCare Vermont accountable care organization, in which hospitals assume the financial risk for the health of their communities and change the services they are delivering to focus more on wellness and population health programs in addition to traditional medical services. He emphasized the Network’s continued support for Vermont’s All Payer ACO Model as one of the most important tools through which the Network hospitals strive to keep Vermonters healthy, improve the health care experience and make health care more affordable.
Fred Kniffin, MD, president of the UVM Health Network - Porter Medical Center in Middlebury agreed. “We need to align our priorities with our community. Our patients want to stay healthy and we now have financial incentives to make investments to help them remain healthy as we continue to transition from fee for service to payment models that reward quality and positive clinical outcomes.”
The University of Vermont Medical Center, the state’s largest nonprofit hospital and the region’s only academic medical center, Level 1 trauma center and children’s hospital, said in a statement ahead of the hearings that it has placed significant emphasis on educational advancement and workforce development in its recent budgets.
Anna Noonan, RN, BSN, MS, president and chief operating officer of UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center, will share details of how CVMC is working to enhance its patient-and family-focused, high-quality services while continuing to strengthen its fiscal health.
“I have just completed my first year at Central Vermont Medical Center and I am continually impressed by the deep commitment our staff and providers have to assuring that we deliver the highest possible quality of care in a patient-and family-centered environment,” Noonan said. “At CVMC and throughout the Network, we are committed to investing in our people so they can continue to enhance the services we provide to the populations we serve.”
The University of Vermont Health Network budget hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Wednesday at Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall.
Also planning to be in attendance at the hearings are UVMMC nurses, whose union is currently in so-far-unsuccessful contract negotiations with management. The 1,800 nurses have been working without a contract since July 9 and went on a two-day strike July 12-13. Meetings earlier this week seemed to have moved both sides closer to a resolution, but no deal has yet been struck.
The union also is organizing a community picket, scheduled for 8-9 am, and a nurse rally and public speak-out, scheduled for 11:30 am.
UVMMC budget request. For FY 2019 presentation and GMCB response click here.
Source: GMCB
Hospital Schedule
- Monday, August 20th: Hospital Budget Hearing (9:00 am) • Gifford Medical Center, Copley Hospital, North Country Hospital, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital Located in the Pavilion Auditorium at 109 State St, Montpelier, VT
- Wednesday, August 22nd: Hospital Budget Hearing (9:00 am) • University of Vermont Health Network (Central Vermont Medical Center, Porter Medical Center & UVM Medical Center) and Northwestern Medical Center Located in Contois Auditorium, Burlington City Hall at 149 Church St, Burlington, VT
- Monday, August 27th: Hospital Budget Hearing (9:00 am) • Rutland Regional Medical Center, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Grace Cottage Hospital Located in the Campus Center, Room 1787, Castleton University at 29 College Dr, Castleton, VT
- Wednesday, August 29th: Hospital Budget Hearing (9:00 am) • Mt. Ascutney Hospital & Health Center and Springfield Hospital Located in the Pavilion Auditorium at 109 State St, Montpelier, VT
CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO ALL HOSPITAL BUDGET REQUESTS
About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an integrated system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York. The Network includes 4,000 health care professionals. The partners are:
- The University of Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
- The Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties
Source: UVMHN. GMCB.