RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – Rutland Regional Medical Center under the gun as hospital regulators grill them on the proposed closure of the region’s only pediatric inpatient unit.
Regulators say they’re confused about the hospital’s narrative around why they’re closing the unit. The hospital claims they’re closing it, to save money and improve quality of care for kids.
Hospital officials say in the past year, there were 169 days that the unit was empty. Almost half of the year. On top of that, right now, the hospital’s budget is running at a $4.9 million dollar loss. They say this closure would bring them up to a $2.6 million dollar loss.
Friday’s regulators questioned why the hospital didn’t better negotiate their Medicaid reimbursement rates with the Agency of Human Services.
Rutland Regional has been working with AHS in the statewide hospital transformation plan. Regulators question why they made this decision without consulting the state or community.
Sara Teachout, of the Green Mountain Care Board says, “I’m just asking a question about whether a family who doesn’t know anything about the specifics about what Rutland covers and does not chooses to bring their child directly to a different facility rather than go through your facility and get transferred? Are you worried about losing families bringing pediatric patients to your hospital as a result of this decision?”
The closure it set to take place December 21st.
At that point, pediatric patients would be admitted OT the emergency department and if necessary, transferred to Dartmouth Medical Center or University of Vermont Medical Center.
This is the Green Mountain Care Board’s first review of a service line reduction. They didn’t make a decision Friday. They will do so by December 17th at the latest.
