A Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) decision Friday, Feb. 21, will enable University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) to continue providing community-based dialysis services in Rutland as well as St. Albans and Newport.
Since November 2024, the health system has been working with Rutland Regional Medical Center, Northwestern Medical Center, and North Country Hospital to identify the best way to maintain care for patients who rely on dialysis at these sites.
After exploring options that included transitioning operation of dialysis to other providers, it became clear that no other organization would be able to take on the services while providing high quality care without significant losses. On Friday, the GMCB voted to increase UVM Medical Center’s revenue cap to include revenue from community dialysis services and enable their continued operation so patients do not have to travel further for the lifesaving care they need.
UVM Medical Center will continue to sustain the losses while they search for opportunities to decrease costs to provide dialysis to Vermonters.
“We’re very appreciative of the board’s willingness to collaborate with us to secure access to this important care in rural areas of the state,” said Stephen Leffler, MD, president and chief operating officer at UVM Medical Center. “I’m happy to reaffirm our commitment to providing these essential services.”
Dr. Leffler acknowledged the uncertainty that dialysis patients and staff have endured over the past few months.
“We sincerely apologize for any stress or anxiety that people have felt while we worked to identify a path forward for this important service,” he added. “We will continue to work together with our regulator, the state of Vermont, area hospitals, and other partners to make progress on solutions to our most pressing health care challenges.”
GMCB held a hearing Friday morning to review UVMMC’s request for an adjustment to their nearly $2 billion FY25 budget.
GMCB Chair Owen Foster made the official motion, stating: “I move to approve UVMMC’s request for a budget adjustment to their FY25 budget to allow a total NPR of not more than $1,903,520,112, subject to UVMMC’s continued staffing and operation of the dialysis clinics at RRMC, NMC, and NCH, and subject to the same other conditions and limitations as set forth in UVMMC’s FY25 budget order.”
