Rutland (Vt.) Regional Medical Center is requesting approval for a $21.7 million expansion with majority of the spending going toward expanding its orthopedic clinic, according to the VT Digger.
Here are five key points:
1. The hospital dedicated $16.1 million for a new medical building to house its Vermont Orthopedic Clinic.
2. The Vermont Orthopedic Clinic was built to host four providers; however, the clinic has grown to 12 providers, including orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
3. Rutland Regional Medical Center's orthopedic clinic is now the same size as orthopedic programs at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.
4. Recently, the Green Mountain Care Board, who approves the request for expansion, has been scrutinizing statewide orthopedic surgery growth. The board has questioned whether hospital expansions encourage people to seek out orthopedic surgery.
5. In addition to the orthopedic clinic expansion, $1.7 million will go toward renovating the current orthopedic building and $3.2 million in renovating the hospital's loading dock. Rutland Regional Medical Center estimates the project will be complete by the end of 2019.