David Schneider, M.D., working in his lab at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine (Photo: David Seaver)

(JANUARY 20, 2025) In a recent opinion piece in VTDigger, academic cardiologist David Schneider, M.D., professor of medicine at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and director of cardiovascular services at the UVM Health Network, takes issue with one of the key recommendations of a recent report produced by the Green Mountain Care Board’s consultants: the suggestion that “we should reduce time spent on activities not directly related to patient care.”

Schneider writes, “As an academic cardiologist, I cherish our combined mission of providing outstanding care to patients, advancing care through research, and educating the next generation … Taken at face value, the Oliver Wyman recommendations would decimate teaching and research here in Vermont. While this may well provide short-term financial relief, it would certainly have negative near- and long-term consequences. One of those consequences would almost certainly be the inability to recruit some of the best and brightest physicians who want to advance care through academic pursuits. Perhaps even more dire would be the loss of some of our talented faculty who provide outstanding care in addition to devoting time to academic pursuits.”

Schneider states, “These are complicated times, and we must look critically at every aspect of the system to make improvements. My plea is that those who commission studies like the Oliver Wyman report spend time thinking about what they value in the system we have, which I would argue includes rethinking how provider ‘productivity’ is measured.”