Southern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, for instance, was required to cut its spending by more than $718,000, and reduce its rate increase from 8.5 to 7 percent. Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington had to reduce spending by $500,000 and draw down its rate increase from 8 to 7.5 percent.

Vermont's hospitals proposed their budget increases this summer, and each of them was reviewed in a public hearing by a Public Oversight Commission and BISHCA Commissioner John Crowley.

According to a release from BISHCA, the review process considered budget assumptions related to hospital use, new programs, operating surplus, inflation, prior budgets, and individual circumstances for each hospital.

Michael Davis, of the Division of Healthcare Administration, said the state also considered rates to see how they matched up with other hospitals in the state, region, and across the United States.

This is cache, read story here