Fletcher Allen Health Care
Encyclopedia
Fletcher Allen Health Care, together with its partners at the University of Vermont
College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont's academic medical center. Fletcher Allen target clientele are the one million people in Vermont and northern New York. It serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties. There are more than 30 patient care sites and 100 outreach clinics, programs and services throughout the region. It employs 6,000 workers and is the largest private employer in the state.
-designated comprehensive cancer treatment centers in the country, the highest level attainable. The Vermont Children’s Hospital’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, offers one of the highest levels of intensive care for critically ill and premature infants.
The hospital's General Clinical Research Center at Fletcher Allen/University of Vermont is one of 78 in the country and the only one in northern New England. Resident researchers are pioneering treatments for heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and ALS.
The medical center has comprehensive surgical services (neurological, cardiac, pediatric) and imaging equipment. It has a Philips high-field Open MRI, a Philips 3T MRI, a General Electric
Signa LX 1.5 tesla system, and a 64-slice CT scanner.
As the only Level I Trauma Center in Vermont, the hospital tries to offer the region advanced technology and techniques to care for the most seriously ill and injured pediatric and adult patients. The hospital was the first organization in the United States to be verified as a Level I Trauma Center for both children and adults.
In August 2006 David Cox, former CFO, pleaded guilty to charges and admitted his role in the controversy.
As of 2007, four former executives have been charged with crimes associated with the project. The former CEO, William Boettcher, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years on federal conspiracy charges. David Demers, a former senior vice president for planning, also pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy charges. Thad Krupka, the former COO, pleaded guilty in state court to three counts of misdemeanor false claims.
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont's academic medical center. Fletcher Allen target clientele are the one million people in Vermont and northern New York. It serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties. There are more than 30 patient care sites and 100 outreach clinics, programs and services throughout the region. It employs 6,000 workers and is the largest private employer in the state.
Services
The Vermont Children's Hospital is in the hospital. This is the state's only children's hospital and is one of 39 National Cancer InstituteNational Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
-designated comprehensive cancer treatment centers in the country, the highest level attainable. The Vermont Children’s Hospital’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, offers one of the highest levels of intensive care for critically ill and premature infants.
The hospital's General Clinical Research Center at Fletcher Allen/University of Vermont is one of 78 in the country and the only one in northern New England. Resident researchers are pioneering treatments for heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and ALS.
The medical center has comprehensive surgical services (neurological, cardiac, pediatric) and imaging equipment. It has a Philips high-field Open MRI, a Philips 3T MRI, a General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Signa LX 1.5 tesla system, and a 64-slice CT scanner.
As the only Level I Trauma Center in Vermont, the hospital tries to offer the region advanced technology and techniques to care for the most seriously ill and injured pediatric and adult patients. The hospital was the first organization in the United States to be verified as a Level I Trauma Center for both children and adults.
Emergency services
55,000 people were treated in the emergency room in 2007. The department is designed to process up to 65,000/year. The average wait time was 49 minutes.Operations
The hospital had a budget of $790 million in 2008. It received 8.2% of this from the state of Vermont.Hospital merger
Fletcher Allen Health Care was formed in 1995 from the merger of three organizations:- Medical Center Hospital of Vermont
- Founded in BurlingtonBurlington, VermontBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, 1879, Mary Fletcher Hospital was the first hospitalHospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. It was renamed Medical Center Hospital of Vermont in 1967.
- Fanny Allen Hospital
- In 1894, the Sisters of St Joseph founded the Fanny Allen Hospital in ColchesterColchesterColchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. They named their hospital after Fanny AllenFanny AllenFrances Margaret Allen was the first New England woman to become a Catholic nun. The daughter of Revolutionary War General Ethan Allen, she converted to Catholicism and entered the convent of the Religious Hospitallers of St...
(daughter of Ethan AllenEthan AllenEthan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
), a nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
who nursedNursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
wounded American soldiers in the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. This site, now referred to as the Fanny Allen Campus, has an ambulatory surgery center and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
unit.
- University Health Center
- In 1971, ten medical specialty practice groups joined to form the University Health Center in the site of the former Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital (1924). Most of the ambulatory clinics moved from the UHC campus to the Ambulatory Care Center in 2005.
Post-merger history
In 2008, the University HealthSystem Consortium evaluated the hospital as 15th out of 88 academic medical centers. It stood 48 in 2005.The Renaissance Project Controversy
In 1999, responding to proposals from chief executive William C. Boettcher, the State Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA) approved a $118 million plan called the Renaissance Project for new construction at Fletcher Allen. In 2001, the commission approved an amended proposal (also known as a Certificate of Need or CON) for $173 million. This second proposal was later described as "fraudulent" by the United States Attorney for the district including Vermont. This description was based on the fact that at the time Fletcher Allen management was maintaining two separate project budgets in an attempt to keep a major portion of the costs from BISHCA (specifically the cost of the parking garage). The final version of the proposal, approved in 2003, was $364 million. In the end, eight Fletcher Allen trustees resigned; the chief executive (CEO), chief financial (CFO) and chief operating officers (COO) resigned; the law firm retained by the hospital (Downs Rachlin Martin) agreed to pay $2 million in restitution and Fletcher Allen was fined $1 million.In August 2006 David Cox, former CFO, pleaded guilty to charges and admitted his role in the controversy.
As of 2007, four former executives have been charged with crimes associated with the project. The former CEO, William Boettcher, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years on federal conspiracy charges. David Demers, a former senior vice president for planning, also pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy charges. Thad Krupka, the former COO, pleaded guilty in state court to three counts of misdemeanor false claims.