Southwestern Vermont Medical Center

SVMC has more than 130 physicians on its medical staff.[10] In addition to primary care, the medical staff has a variety of specialists including cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, oncology,[10] and infectious disease.[11] Recently, recruiting new physicians to medical staff has become more challenging.[12] In 2006, a state-appointed committee recognized that physician pay and other factors had led to in a shortage of primary care and specialists in hospitals throughout Vermont.[13] The shortage was particularly acute in 2007 when the hospital had 25 vacant positions on the staff.[14] The hospital responded to physician shortage by increasing its efforts to recruit physicians using innovative techniques such as a special website devoted to recruiting physicians. The efforts paid off. Within a few months of changing their recruiting strategy, the hospital had filled 10 of the 25 open positions.[15]

In 2008, the hospital completed the transition to fully electronic medication administration. The new system incorporates bar codes on patient arm bands, bar coded medications packed in single doses, and scanning by the nurse at the bedside. The system improves patient safety by alerting nurses to medication allergies, incorrect doses, or a mismatch between the medication order and the patient about to receive the medication. The Rutland Herald reported that only 15 percent of hospitals nationwide have a fully electronic system for documenting medication administration.[16]

SVMC also has adopted a "culture of openness" regarding medical mistakes. Administration and medical staff leaders have worked with Dale Micalizzi an advocate for patients who lost her 11-year-old son to a medical mistake.[17] That "openness" is linked to a trend in healthcare to change the way hospitals and doctors deal with errors. This approach advocates that hospitals and doctors cooperate with each other and with families, share information, apologize, and work to prevent errors from occurring again.[18]

In 2004, SVMC became the first Vermont hospital to set up a Patient Safety Department. The hospital established the department to centralize activities related to patient safety and to "be proactive and look at potential accidents and prevent harm from ever happening." [19] Likewise, later that year, SVMC and fourteen other hospitals in Vermont announced that they would join the IMPACT, a program from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement that allows hospitals to work on quality improvement project and share strategies for success.[20]

The hospital remains in the same location chosen by the corporators. The original building still stands and is still in use, although numerous additions have changed its appearance in the intervening years. In 2008, SVMC began the process of gaining state and local approval to update its infrastructure with a new central plant for heating, cooling, and emergency power.[21] It also applied for permission to construct additional patient rooms and renovate and expand areas, such as the Emergency Department and the Laboratory, that do not meet current standards for floor space.[22]

• A Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence, as designated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center[23]
• Mentor hospital with the Institute for Health Care Improvement [24]
• Accredited by the Joint Commission[25]
• Laboratory is accredited by the College of American Pathologists[26]

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care. Southwestern Vermont Health Care includes:

• The Centers for Living & Rehabilitation, a 150-bed nursing home and rehabilitation facility.
• Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice, a home health agency and Medicare-certified hospice.
• Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, SVMC's cancer program approved by the American College of Surgeons[27]
• SVMC Northshire Campus, a primary care medical practice in Manchester, Vt.
• SVMC Deerfield Valley Campus, a primary care medical practice in Wilmington, Vt.