Randolph hospital to hold forum about its future, cites ‘broken trust’ with consultant's report
White River Valley community members will discuss the future of their health care access next Tuesday.
That’s after a recent state-commissioned report recommended major reductions in service at four small Vermont hospitals, including Gifford Medical Center in Randolph.
The recommendations include converting inpatient beds to mental health care, changing emergency department staffing to a non-physician model, and moving obstetric services outside the hospital.
The report says without major restructuring, 13 of Vermont’s 14 hospitals will be operating at a loss by 2028 — and that nine already were in 2023.
Leadership at Gifford Medical Center say the report’s recommendations are based on inaccurate data, including admissions, birth and emergency department numbers.
“The report argues that Gifford’s patient numbers were too low to justify current operations, yet the consultant’s data was severely flawed,” Gifford President and CEO Michael Costa said in a press release last week.
North Country Hospital in Newport has made similar claims. And in response to North Country, the lead author of the report, Dr. Bruce Hamory with the consulting firm Oliver Wyman, admitted to making some data errors.