• The National Institute of Health suggests due to the nature of cardiology work that the adequate patient to member ratio should be 1 Cardiologist to every 2,000 members in a 60-mile radius.

This measure is important because Vermont has few cardiologists, mostly located in hospitals and larger hospital areas.

Members seeking to see a cardiologist may have an easier time if the cardiologist is attached to a hospital referral.  Regions of Vermont suffer overall from a shortage of specialists, especially in rural areas. Due to the lack of specialists, there is often a long wait time for appointments and many members must drive long distances to see a specialist. Hospitals are actively recruiting for cardiologists, however there is not as much desire to move to Vermont. Cardiology is a complicated field and is influenced by many internal and external factors. There are five megatrends that will have the greatest impact on cardiology supply and demand in Vermont over the next decade. They are:

• Aging and growing population
• Prevalence of chronic diseases
• Changes in cardiology testing & procedure utilization
• Aging cardiology workforce
• Projected primary care shortages

The trendline shows that the overall availability of cardiologists is remaining steady.  However, the break-out grid shows that there is a shortage of cardiologists in the more rural counties. 

Narrative last updated: 12/04/2020

• DVHA Data Unit
• Vermont Medical Society
• Gainwell Technologies

In 2020, the Vermont Department of Health and hospitals have been working together to enlist cardiologists. Under the management of several grants, programs have been developed to focus on improving the quality of care in rural hospital settings.