To Be Presented At In-Person Community Meetings Across Vermont's 14 Hospital Regions
Vermont Business Magazine Options for hospital transformation and health system revitalization will be presented at in-person community meetings across Vermont’s 14 hospital regions throughout the month of July. Feedback and input will be solicited from community members. The options are the culmination of a monthslong process of collecting input from Vermonters across the state, including through public community and provider meetings, outreach to over 100 community organizations, visits to each hospital in Vermont, and analyses of healthcare data from multiple sources.
In fiscal year 2023, nine of Vermont’s 14 hospitals had negative operating margins. At the same time, Vermonters are experiencing significant annual increases in health insurance premiums.
“Vermont’s healthcare system is strained, and Vermonters cannot afford annual double-digit increases in their healthcare costs,” said Owen Foster, Chair of the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB). “The independent, expert recommendations that will be presented to Vermont communities are critical to revitalizing and sustaining an affordable healthcare system for Vermonters.”
In response to national trends, deteriorating hospital and provider financial health, increasing costs for Vermonters, and gaps in access to local mental healthcare, primary care, and long-term care, the legislature in 2022 directed the GMCB to retain a third-party independent clinician to develop recommendations for hospital transformation. The Green Mountain Care Board retained Dr. Bruce Hamory and his team of health systems experts from Oliver Wyman’s Health and Life Sciences Practice to hear directly from Vermonters about current experiences with the healthcare system.
Dr. Bruce Hamory and team will share their findings and options for transformation of Vermont’s healthcare system at GMCB’s public board meetings on June 19 and July 8. Public, in-person community meetings will run from July 9 through August 5 and will include community and hospital specific options for improving access, constraining cost and improving health equity. The purpose of these meetings is to review the findings and options and provide additional opportunity for input.
“My team and I have listened to many Vermonters and have heard about both the challenges and the bright spots in Vermont’s healthcare system. We are looking forward to sharing options to address the many issues raised in these listening sessions. Public feedback in this second round of presentations and discussions will be very important in shaping our final report.” said Dr. Hamory. “Local communities, hospitals and the many State Agencies are best positioned to take action to create a system that is responsive to individual, and community needs as well as for the entire state.”
The options presented will be broad and include state-level changes to be considered by the Vermont Legislature or health-related government agencies, hospital-level changes for hospital leadership and hospital boards, cross-hospital options for multiple hospitals to coordinate services, and community-level options to facilitate health and healthcare access through changes in transportation and housing infrastructure.
The Oliver Wyman information and recommendations are an important step in gathering critical information on potential improvements in how care is organized and delivered in Vermont. The Agency of Human Services and GMCB are committed to continuing to work with community members and healthcare providers to ensure a strong future for Vermont’s healthcare and human services system. “As we take this information forward, we look to achieve a health system for Vermont that meets the care needs of our communities and acknowledges the important role hospitals play in our local economies, while addressing the issue of unsustainable healthcare cost growth,” said Jenney Samuelson, Secretary of the Agency of Human Services.
Meeting schedule
State-Level Recommendations to Support Hospital Transformation at GMCB Board Meeting
· June 19 meeting begins at 1 pm via Microsoft Teams
Kick-Off and Preview for Healthcare Community Conversations at GMCB Board Meeting
· July 8 meeting begins at 10 am via Microsoft Teams
14 In-Person Community Meetings
· In-person: July 8 – August 1, start times vary
o Virtual meeting also offered August 5 at 6-7:30pm. Virtual meeting offered for those who cannot attend the in-personal meeting in their region.
· Meeting Schedule and sign-up links (RSVP optional)
About: The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) is a 5-member, independent Board with a vision of a sustainable and equitable healthcare system that promotes better health outcomes for Vermonters. The GMCB was created in 2011 with an ambitious mission to drive system-wide improvements in access, affordability, and quality of healthcare to improve the health of Vermonters. Through public meetings, the GMCB ensures a transparent approach to healthcare regulation and a voice for stakeholders, including healthcare organizations, clinicians, and members of the public. With a holistic, data driven approach, the GMCB carries out its regulatory duties, supports innovation in healthcare delivery and payment reform, and serves as an important resource for independent, transparent analyses of Vermont’s healthcare system performance.
Source: 6.18.2024. Montpelier, VT – Green Mountain Care Board
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