Dartmouth Health to Cease Telehealth Services for Emergency and Intensive Care, Impacting Vermont Hospitals
Dartmouth Health plans to discontinue its Tele-ICU and Tele-ED services, a decision that will affect five hospitals in Vermont and others across the region. Audra Burns, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire-based health network, stated that the costs of these services, at their current scale and without external support, are unsustainable. These telehealth programs provide rural hospitals with access to specialists at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, offering remote intensive care physicians and critical care nurses for continuous monitoring and emergency department support. Vermont hospitals utilizing these services include Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Grace Cottage Hospital, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, and Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center. Dartmouth Health reported a $63.5 million operating deficit in May, citing rising expenses for staffing and pharmaceuticals. 
