Rutland Regional CEO backs reference‑based pricing, urges caution on S126 reporting expansions

Judy Fox, president and CEO of Rutland Regional Medical Center, told a legislative panel that while her hospital supports many aims in S126, portions of the bill are redundant with reporting the hospital already submits to the Green Mountain Care Board and could create administrative burdens that raise costs.

Fox briefed lawmakers on Rutland Regional’s scale: about 60,000 community members served, roughly 6,500 inpatients annually, more than 100,000 clinic visits, about 300,000 testing encounters, and roughly 1,800 employees including 140 physicians and advanced practice providers. “Rutland, we're the second largest hospital in the state, but we're the largest employer in Rutland County,” she said.

Nut graf: Fox recommended using the Green Mountain Care Board’s existing budget‑reporting processes rather than adding parallel reporting requirements in S126; she also supported carefully staged payment reform — including reference‑based pricing pilots — warning that Vermont’s Medicare…