The University of Vermont Health Network acquired Green Mountain Orthopedic Surgery in Berlin, Vt., Friday, despite pressure from the state legislature to stop expansion efforts, reports VTDigger.
The move is the latest in a string of independent practice acquisitions in central Vermont by UVM Health Network. In Vermont, the system owns Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin and UVM Medical Center in Burlington.
State legislators are concerned consolidation efforts by UVM Health Network will raise out-of-pocket costs for consumers. "When an independent practice is purchased by the academic medical center, the immediate effect is that both Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicaid increase the reimbursement provided for services," Sen. Tim Ashe (D-Chittenden) told VTDigger.
UVM Health Network officials said the two physicians who owned the orthopedic practice approached the network because they were having trouble managing their practice.
"[The surgeons] were really concerned that they might not be able to stay in business, and they're really important to stay in this community," David Turner, vice president of physician services at Central Vermont Medical Center, told VTDigger. "They're two surgeons we would be without if they went out of business."