COMMENTARY: Hospital leader details proposed budget increase
September 5, 2024 | By Anna Tempesta Noonan
For over half a century, Central Vermont Medical Center has been the cornerstone of care in Central Vermont, committed to nurturing a healthy community through innovative health care solutions, advanced treatment options and educational initiatives that empower individuals to lead healthier lives, while also driving economic growth and stability in the region.
At the heart of our ability to serve is the need to remain financially sustainable. Recently, CVMC presented our proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget to the Green Mountain Care Board, the entity that regulates hospital budgets in our state. This is a critically important process that has wide-reaching consequences for our patients in Central Vermont.
CVMC's proposed budget is built on a commitment shared by all health care organizations that are part of the University of Vermont Health Network – to keep our communities healthy while controlling costs. Specifically, we’re focused on increasing physical access to care for patients, reducing financial barriers to care and improving health outcomes. Our FY25 budget also addresses the challenges we face, including rising care delivery costs and a continued workforce shortage.
These challenges are not new to us. Since 2021 we have graduated 128 professionals through our workforce development program and as of today more than 90 of the graduates still work at CVMC as nurses, licensed practical nurses and other critical positions. Our budget will continue to invest in these programs and will include key investments to support the needs of our patients and Woodridge residents.
Integration work across our health system has allowed CVMC to keep our commercial rate request to 6.54%, significantly lower than in recent years. We achieved this by finding operational efficiencies at CVMC and throughout UVM Health Network, to better control costs and reduce financial burdens on our patients. This is a direct benefit of being part of our health system, with access to more efficient shared administrative and clinical staff, a standardized electronic health record system and the ability to better control the rates we pay for temporary labor. The FY25 budget is vital for our path to sustainability.
Here are our areas of focus:
Expanding our role: CVMC is growing beyond a community hospital to become a referral site for our region. Serving as a resource for Critical Access Hospitals and patients needing acute inpatient medical, surgical and critical care.
Increasing surgical capacity: We have increased capacity in our surgical services to reduce wait times. By partnering with UVM Medical Center, we bring appropriate surgical cases to CVMC, freeing up UVMMC’s surgical capacity for expanded services, keeping surgical care close to home.
Recruitment and retention: We continue to expand our workforce development programs, launched in 2018. These “learn while you earn” programs include educational tracks for CVMC employees to become licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, surgical technologists, medical assistants and other in-demand roles. These programs are now offered across UVM Health Network.
Investing in technology: We invest in technology that improves care and access. For example, the Mako Orthopedics robotic system allows our orthopedic surgeons to create customized surgical plans based on each patient’s unique anatomy, resulting in less post-operative pain, quicker recovery times and improved hip and knee flexion.
Upgrading cancer treatment: In just a few months, with regulatory approval, we will soon upgrade to a state-of-the-art linear accelerator in our cancer center. This technology targets tumors with pinpoint accuracy while protecting nearby healthy tissue, allowing for more efficient and precise treatments.
Increasing access to primary care: Our FY25 budget reflects the commitment to increasing access, especially in primary care. Starting in September, patients will be able to self-schedule primary care appointments in MyChart, our digital portal. We are also expanding our patient financial assistance programs to ensure that insurance coverage or ability to pay is not a barrier to receiving care.
As you hear more about Vermont hospital budgets, please remember what is at stake: Our budget represents what we need to care for our communities and the people who depend on us for providing high-quality healthcare close to home.
Anna Tempesta Noonan is the president and chief operating officer at Central Vermont Medical Center.