Looking into the Act 167 transformation process for Vt. hospitals
Now that the Green Mountain Care Board has released its recommendations that call for steep cost-cutting and the possible closure of some hospitals, it’s time to implement them. That process will be led by Vermont’s Agency of Human Services.
Brendan Krause is the director of health care reform at Vermont’s Agency of Human Services and is spearheading the hospital transformation and sustainability implementation project within the department and outside of it.
“[We’re] embedded in local communities that support primary care, that provide care coordination for people with multiple chronic conditions, that help to navigate other social services for people who are experiencing health-related social needs... This is an opportunity for us to really sit down with these hospitals and listen to their concerns and listen to their goals and support them,” said Krause.
Right now, the Agency of Human Services is in a conversation with hospital CEOs around the state about what recommendations can be implemented from the report, and which ones could be too risky.
“This is like a hurricane. It’s predictable within certain limits. If you can see it coming, you can plan for it,” said Dr. Bruce Hamory with Oliver Wyman Consulting, the authors of the report.
Hamory conducted hundreds of interviews, over a dozen public meetings, and several investigations into Vermont’s health care system and hospital finances. His top recommendations to keep hospitals open and health care accessible and affordable, are to build housing, move to reference-based pricing, and move care out of hospitals.