Making health care available when and where you need it
Improving access
Providing timely access to quality health care requires continuous attention and improvement. Our post-pandemic environment has only made that more apparent. The UVM Health Network is committed to improving the experience of our patients and expanding access to the care they need.
Initiatives moving us toward our goal:
Reducing wait times for care
We know we need to continue to reduce wait times for our patients so they can get the care they need as quickly as possible. We’re making progress: wait times for specialty care, imaging and surgical procedures are decreasing in many areas thanks to our ongoing efforts to increase our capacity. Meanwhile, we’re implementing a centralized scheduling system that will enable patients to choose from all available in-person and telehealth appointments across our Network.
Strengthening recruitment
We are taking action to address national workforce shortages by making investments in recruitment and retention. We developed a Network recruitment team to fill nursing vacancies across our health system, while providing growth and development opportunities for employees to advance their careers.
Technology-enabled health care
eHealth refers to a variety of health care services that we provide by video, telephone and through other digital tools across our health system in Vermont and northern New York. We’re increasingly using video and phone visits, eConsults and remote monitoring to further improve access to care for our communities.
Now all our Network hospitals and clinics are connected to our electronic health record system, connecting patients and providers to relevant health records whenever and wherever they are needed. This not only improves access to care, it enables us to innovate in how we coordinate the care available to the people of our communities.
Improving how, where and when we provide care
We constantly work to improve the patient experience, our environments and schedules to support the health care needs of our patients. Through medical villages, urgent care centers, rural specialty care clinics (cardiology, dermatology, colonoscopy, endoscopy, women’s health and orthopedics), renovating existing spaces or building modern facilities for outpatient surgeries and mental health care, we can support the most up-to-date practices and respond to the changing needs of communities.
Preserving local access
We’re working to ensure that all of the communities we serve have access to high-quality care close to home. In New York, Alice Hyde Medical Center applied to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to become a critical access hospital – ensuring more resources to continue meeting the emergency, inpatient care and outpatient service needs of the surrounding rural communities.
Meanwhile, Ticonderoga, New York, is an example of how innovation and strong partnerships have kept essential care local in this rural community. Moses Ludington Hospital was struggling to survive as a hospital. Working in close partnership with others, and with support from the state of New York, the hospital was transformed into a hub of local care and service, including a 24/7 emergency department and outpatient center with imaging, laboratory, physical therapy and specialty medical services.
Our impact
‘Suddenly, I Felt Hopeful’
A UVM Health Network team is shrinking wait times for radiology scans like MRIs and PET scans, a change that made a world of difference for patient Brian French.
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‘Welcome to Air Traffic Control’
The UVM Health Network Transfer Center links hospitals into a cohesive system, helping patients get the care they need more quickly.
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Improving Access, One Patient at a Time
The UVM Health Network Patient Access Service Center makes it easier for patients to schedule appointments with a single call.
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