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In 2009, the CEO of Fletcher Allen, the largest hospital in the state and the only one with nursing and medical schools, sat talking with the CEO of Central Vermont Medical Center, a beloved rural community hospital. Both had experience in health systems in other states and they believed their hospitals could provide better care to their communities if they worked together.

That conversation led to what is today the UVM Health Network—a 15,000-employee, integrated health care system serving more than one million residents across Vermont and Northern New York.

Our patients and communities benefit as we work to:

Preserve access in our local communities by thinking differently about how care is provided, creating connections across the Network so patients can get the right care, when and where they need it.

Manage health care costs and also offer financial assistance and other programs so that no one goes without the care or prescription medicine they need.

Commit to doing our part to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for our patients, their families, our employees and our communities.

Our guiding strategy to improve health outcomes and control the cost of care:

Improving access to health care services

With the Patient Access & Service Center, we can help people find available in-person and telehealth appointments within our connected health system in Vermont and Northern New York, getting them needed appointments more easily and sooner.

Improved access

Benefits of an integrated health system

By joining together as a network of health care providers, we are able to accomplish things together that we couldn’t do alone. We save patients millions of dollars every year through better coordination of our services across the region and bulk purchasing power.

Through standardizing care, sharing expertise and directing resources where they’re needed most, rural patients can access the same high-quality care as those living in more populated areas, resulting in improved health outcomes.

Strengthening our workforce with recruitment & retention initiatives

The national workforce shortage is impacting health care organizations across the country, and our region is no exception. There are simply not enough health care providers, technicians and professional staff to fill all of the available positions. We are working to develop, nurture and retain talent in Vermont and Northern New York.

Strengthening our workforce

Taking action to stabilize our finances while continuing to provide high-quality care.

A variety of factors have had a substantial impact on our financial health, creating a heightened sense of urgency. By working diligently through a series of focused initiatives, we have been able to reduce the impact of cost inflation across our health system. With much more work to be done, we are working to stabilize our finances so we can continue to provide high-value, high-quality care and critical services in our communities.

Addressing our financial crisis

Adding behavioral health specialists into our primary care practices:

Mental health is as important as blood pressure, cholesterol or any other common measure of overall health. The University of Vermont Health Network is beginning to include behavioral health specialists on our primary care teams, making it possible for us to more quickly connect patients with the support they may need.

Care informed by the latest research and treatments:

Working in close partnership with the UVM Larner College of Medicine continues to benefit more and more patients across our Network. We are able to translate research findings into the most effective care options and offer hope to patients through new treatments and clinical trials.

A new health plan customized for our patients:

Through an innovative partnership with MVP Health Care, we developed a new Medicare Advantage plan called UVM Health Advantage, which is guided by our doctors and focused on the health care needs of Medicare-eligible residents of Vermont and Northern New York.

Targeted patient interventions:

Data-driven approaches can inform better patient care and help improve the health of our region. When health trends are visible, this helps our providers and clinical teams understand more about the community and supports their work in finding the most effective prevention and treatment strategies for our patients. Some examples of this approach include:

Alice Hyde Medical Center’s Readmission Project focuses on patient education around specific chronic conditions that result in high readmission rates in our community and provides tools that can be used to manage health and wellness at home.
UVM Medical Center’s ED Utilization Program focuses on patients who rely more heavily on the ED for their health needs.

Network electronic health records

As of April 2022, all of our Network hospitals and clinics are connected to our Epic electronic health record system, connecting patients and providers to relevant health records whenever and wherever they are needed.

Network-connected care

The Network Care Coordination System now manages bed planning, placement, provider consultations, transportation and transfers for all of our health care partners, plus 20 non-network hospitals and 25 ambulance providers in Vermont and northern New York—a service area of more than 40,000 square miles. In addition, care collaboration across UVM Health Network expands access with rural specialty care clinics: cardiology, dermatology, colonoscopy, endoscopy, women’s health and orthopedics.

It started in a Vermont coffee shop...

That conversation led to what is today the UVM Health Network—a 15,000-employee, integrated health care system serving more than one million residents across Vermont and Northern New York.

Our patients and communities benefit as we work to:

Our guiding strategy to improve health outcomes and control the cost of care: