VERMONT - HOSPITAL MANDATORY REPORTING GUIDE
Vermont — Hospital Mandatory Reporting Guide
Category 1 — Adverse Events
No statewide mandatory hospital adverse‑event reporting system identified in OIG’s 2008 inventory (verify whether enacted/changed since 2008).
Who Must Report: N/A.
Deadline: N/A.
Destination: N/A.
Citation: Source.
Attorney Notes: Hospitals still have other mandatory reporting duties and federal/contractual obligations.
Category 2 — Child Abuse / Neglect
Trigger: Reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused or neglected.
Who Must Report: Mandated reporters including hospital staff.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: DCF or law enforcement.
Citation: 33 V.S.A. § 4913.
Attorney Notes: Immediate duty supports negligence‑per‑se theories.
Category 3 — Weapon Injuries
Trigger: Treatment of gunshot wound.
Who Must Report: Physicians, hospitals.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: Police.
Citation: 13 V.S.A. § 4012.
Attorney Notes: Creates a law‑enforcement notice trail.
Category 4 — Communicable Diseases
Trigger: Diagnosis, suspicion, or laboratory identification of a reportable disease or outbreak.
Who Must Report: Providers and laboratories.
Deadline: Condition‑specific; many require immediate or 24‑hour reporting.
Destination: Vermont Department of Health.
Citation: Vermont Reportable Diseases List.
Attorney Notes: Supports outbreak‑control and foreseeability analysis.
Category 5 — Complaints / Investigations
Timeline: Vermont law authorizes complaint investigations but does not impose a statutory start‑time requirement.
Citation: Complaint authority exists; no explicit statutory timeline.
Attorney Notes: Delays may be relevant in oversight challenges.