Reflections From my First 90 Days

by Randall Farmer, CEO

It is a tremendous honor to join VITL and be a part of this amazing community, helping to improve care throughout the Green Mountain State. During my 14 years in health data services, I have followed and admired VITL’s numerous achievements to improve healthcare.

After about three months here, I am even more impressed. I find that, like many Vermont organizations, VITL is a small force with big positive impact; we punch way above our weight. Here are a few remarkable numbers:

• VITL’s historical data includes 437 million clinical results and messages dating as far back as 2010.
• We securely transmit about 62 million clinical messages and results through our state-wide network each year.
• Every year, we electronically deliver over 5 million messages directly to doctors and their care teams, supporting point of care activities.
• Every minute, VITL processes and delivers an average of 120 results and messages in support of care throughout the state of Vermont.

While these numbers tell an important part of the story, it is easy to lose sight of the most important number: ONE. Each clinical message, each lab result, each ER admission notification represents one patient, one Vermonter seeking care. The number one represents a family who is relying on the data network to deliver clinical results safely, and quickly — not taking a second more than needed to get to care professionals so they can take the next step in taking care of their loved one. Each provider can focus on one patient at a time, with the necessary patient health data they need at their fingertips.

It is this most personal commitment to support the care of each Vermonter that defines the core of our team at VITL and the ongoing work to improve our services. Looking ahead, our focus throughout the upcoming months will include:

• Updating our data repository and provider portal to enable more actionable insights at the point of care;
• Launching new tools to make it easier for Vermonters to access more of their healthcare data;
• Reducing results delivery and care coordination service supplier costs;
• Training VITL staff on cutting-edge, industry best practices;
• Assessing the value of current services within the Vermont healthcare ecosystem and identifying new areas where we can do more to serve the health data needs of Vermonters and their care providers.

These are just a few of the key initiatives that will define our work over the coming months. I am so excited to be a part of the VITL team and this critical mission to help transform VITL into an indispensable health intelligence network that Vermonters can rely on for many years to come.