Independent physicians in Vermont have been pushing forward a proposal to build a freestanding ASC in Colchester, with payer Schenectady, N.Y.-based MVP Health Care sending a letter expressing its support to the Green Mountain Care Board, according to VT Digger.
Here are five points:
1. The Green Mountain Care Board, a regulatory body in Vermont, has been hearing from the physicians as well as the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health System for more than a year and a half. The board has yet to hold a hearing about the proposed center.
2. Stark opponents of the ASC, the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems say the surgery center would have a direct negative impact on local hospitals, including the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.
3. The proposal for Green Mountain Surgical Center seeks approval to offer surgeries such as knee repairs, hysterectomies, colonoscopies and spinal pain treatment.
4. In the letter, MVP writes the payer has experience with freestanding ASCs in New York, which shows such facilities are cost-effective and offer patients convenience and high satisfaction.
5. Other Vermont businesses have backed the physicians' proposal including Burlington-based Seventh Generation, Colchester-based Champlain Cable, Burlington-based Boys and Girls Club and Lake Champlain Chocolates in Burlington.