The University of Vermont Medical Center hoped to commence construction on a new seven-story patient tower earlier this spring, but will likely be unable to begin until late next year or early 2017. In response to the $187,000,000 project, the Green Mountain Care Board has imposed restrictions in order to mitigate the high financial risk, and avoid passing along unmet fundraising to patient fees.
The board remains in support of converting double-occupancy rooms to the industry standard single-occupancy rooms, but is leery of the narrow margin for financial error. UVM Medical Center officials continue to promise that the project will not cause insurance rates or patient charges to increase, and will not lead to downsized staffing or decreased quality of patient care. The hospital has commended the board for keeping an eye on the financial viability of the project, and plans to take the appropriate steps to move forward in the coming weeks.