Officials report Mission Care Bennington is admitting patients, department says it will monitor enhanced rate and costs

Mission Care Bennington, a specialized nursing facility that opened in September, has admitted 16 people with complex care needs and is operating under capacity as state officials monitor admissions, eligibility and expenditures, Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living officials told legislators.

The program “has since accepted 16 individuals who have complex care needs from across a number of different services,” the department reported. Commissioner Cheryl Grossman said the facility has relieved pressure on other hospitals and allowed Rutland to open an intensive care service that had been delayed by boarding patients.

Why it matters: Mission Care is being paid an enhanced rate to serve people with high medical and behavioral complexity. Legislators pressed the department on whether the premium is justified and what reporting and oversight will ensure the state gets the services it is paying for.

“There is that option for them to be able to do it. We monitor their activity closely,” Grossman said when asked about oversight and admission criteria. The department said it receives regular reports that document who is admitted, from where they were admitted and their clinical complexity.

AHS finance staff confirmed state support for the facility. “I could just add that, as you know, last year, we had 5,000,000 added to the base budget for, mission care,” said Bill Kelly, a finance official who appeared in the hearing record, and noted the department had just received its first operational report and would analyze it.

Legislators asked about admissions pace and cost containment. Department staff said Mission Care has averaged about four admissions a month and planned to get to five per month; the facility’s target capacity is 91 beds. Officials said admissions have increased as the provider has hired staff and stabilized operations.

Department officials described the population admitted so far as medically complex: people coming from hospitals averaged hundreds of days in institutional care, with examples cited of averages of roughly 435 days for some hospital discharges and about 682 days for some psychiatric hospital discharges; some admitted residents came from correctional institutions after decades of institutional stays.

On oversight, the department said the Mission Care contract includes specific criteria and reporting requirements, and that staff will continue regular meetings with the provider. Stuart Schurr, appearing on screen during the hearing, offered to provide the committee with the executed contract for review and pointed to metrics in the agreement that specify the state’s expectations and reporting cadence.

The department said it will continue to track admissions, staffing and expenditures as Mission Care ramps toward full occupancy. Officials said they will bring back more detailed reporting in follow-up sessions.

Ending: Legislators signaled they expect continued oversight of Mission Care’s enhanced-rate model and a close review of the provider’s monthly reports as the facility moves from startup toward full occupancy.