BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A report mandated by the legislature to prevent rural hospital closures and bankruptcies has been questioned by many hospitals.

“I think there are some very worrying recommendations. Some in the hospital said, ‘oh, you’re going to fundamentally change us,'” said Lt. Senator Ginny Lyons.

The latest criticism comes from Gifford and North Country Hospital, which says consulting firm Oliver Wyman used inaccurate data to create the report. “Some key data, including acute inpatient admissions, emergency room visits, and birth center births, were inaccurate,” Gifford officials said in a statement.

We met with a team of data analysts to crunch the numbers to find out what was wrong.

The first thing to note is that the consultant used multiple data sets, one provided by the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the other an all-payer claims database and vital statistics from the Department of Health. “There are different data sources for different purposes,” said Green Mountain Maintenance Board President Owen Foster.

Regulators say the number of inpatient and emergency room visits is calculated using an all-payer claims database because it best represents the financial impact.

The only error we could find was with two-year births, which were incorrectly presented as a two-year period instead of one year.

Earlier this week, hospitals demanded the report be retracted because it cited “inaccurate data.” Michael Del Trecco, who represents Vermont hospitals, says he no longer believes the withdrawal is necessary.

“What’s really important is that everything we do going forward is based on good data, working with our clinicians, working with our communities, working with our partners at AHS, working with the Green Mountain Care Board,” Del Trecco said.

While the Department of Hospitals and Human Services takes its next steps in hiring a consultant for implementation, analyzing the feasibility of recommendations, and communicating with the public, the legislature is there to provide oversight and help when needed.

“It’s time to step off the cliff and trust each other, and that will lead to some changes within the system, but not disruptive ones, that will lead to hospital sustainability,” Senator Lyons said.

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