University of Vermont Health, a Burlington-based integrated health system, is laying off several executive roles as part of an organizationwide restructuring, VTDigger reported Oct. 20.
By the end of 2025, the health system will phase out its COO, chief medical officer and chief of staff positions, interim CEO Steve Leffler, MD, told employees in an email, according to the publication. Mark Gordon, Danielle Mahaffey, MD, and Brittany Sheehy serve in those roles, respectively.
Dr. Leffler, who is also president and COO of the health system’s University of Vermont Medical Center, said Jason Williams, health system chief external relations officer, is also resigning as part of the transition.
The health system appointed Dr. Leffler to the helm in September. Dr. Leffler’s predecessor, Sunny Eappen, MD, stepped down Oct. 15 but will remain with the health system through December to support the transition.
The objective of the transition is to create “a more efficient system of leadership and governance structure that is more closely connected to the communities we serve and better aligned with the system’s anchor academic medical center,” the health system said in a previous statement shared with Becker’s.
Dr. Leffler said that hospital presidents at each health system location across Vermont and New York will now report directly to him, according to NBC affiliate WPTZ.
UVM Health includes UVM Medical Center in Burlington, Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, and Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, Vt., as well as multiple hospitals in New York and a home health and hospice care provider.
The C-suite layoffs follow the elimination of 146 vacant and full-time roles at the health system in July and a pause in performance-based pay for leaders for fiscal 2025.
In recent months, the health system has faced scrutiny from the Green Mountain Care Board, Vermont’s primary healthcare regulator, regarding high costs of care and a top-heavy administration at UVM Medical Center, according to VTDigger.
“I know change can bring uncertainty, but a few things are clear. We are staying together as a health system. Every healthcare partner, team and shared service in our health system plays a vital role, and we are stronger because we work as one,” Dr. Leffler wrote in his Oct. 20 email. “These changes are about better supporting you and the work you do as a care provider, so we can stay focused on what matters most: our patients, our people and our mission.”
