'Forward-thinking efforts’ at rural health system expand access, strengthen the workforce
Like other rural health systems, the University of Vermont Health Network is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and facing unprecedented challenges like high demand for care, severe staffing shortages and increasing costs. In response, the health system is focusing on four strategic pillars to guide its work: Experience (of patients, employees and others); Education and Research Mission (through learning and innovation); Stewardship (to build healthy communities and public trust); and Operational Excellence (to attain financial stability).
UVM Health’s efforts include:
- Prioritizing patient access to surgical services at three of the system’s hospitals, to address long-standing patient wait times.
- Partnering to provide education and training initiatives and financial support to people in the community interested in health care careers.
- Alleviating the region’s housing shortage with two new housing units and exploring additional opportunities to invest in high-quality housing and child care for health care workers.
- Launching self-scheduling in MyChart so patients can schedule appointments for health care services directly.
- Expanding eConsult services across the system, expediting the patient referral process and allowing virtual patient consults with specialists.