This session, Vermont lawmakers passed a bill that could open the door for research into a new frontier of medical treatments. They involve psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, and LSD.

The Vermont Department of Health has been forced to find new ways to report Covid-19 data after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped requiring hospitals across the country to report their Covid admission counts.

Vermont’s leading health insurance carriers are asking state regulators for double-digit rate increases.

OneCare Vermont, a pioneering Accountable Care Organization dedicated to improving Vermont’s healthcare system, has announced the launch of six new waivers aimed at enhancing access to mental health care, reducing hospital readmissions, increasing preventive care measure performance, and improving overall health care accessibility for Vermonters.

Half of America's rural hospitals are now operating in the financial red. According to a new report from healthcare consultancy Chartis, 50% of the nation's rural hospitals are now operating in the red. That number jumped from 43% last year.

Building accessible, affordable, quality health care for Vermonters is an overdue work in progress. Regardless of mixed results of past major reform efforts, Vermont’s goals to improve population health, advance health equity by reducing disparities in health outcomes and curb health care cost growth are possible.

Adults in central Vermont may wait months to see a primary care provider — and still they’re better off than people in many other regions. Local primary care clinics are scheduling new adult patients into late summer, autumn, and well beyond. Some are no longer adding names to their waitlists.

Friday night into Saturday morning culminated in two minor miracles: an aurora borealis and the adjournment of the legislative session.

Vermont legislators passed a bill to streamline insurance requirements for health care and are urging Gov. Phil Scott to sign the bill into law.

This January, lawmakers introduced two major pieces of legislation, both of which aimed to improve Vermonters’ ability to access health care.

Last week was National Nurses Week and my LinkedIn feed was flooded with celebrations and acknowledgments that included DAISY Awards and deep gratitude for caregivers across the country. It was such a boost all week to see the joy and pride on the faces of nurses nationwide and here in Vermont. I am fortunate to live with an incredibly talented 25-year veteran nurse, so I know very well the call to serve in this really challenging, but incredibly rewarding, profession.

This is it. The whole session has been a steady click, click, click of a rising car on a track. Now we’re over the apex and hurtling towards the end of the session. And, sure, sometimes that feels less like the wind in your face and more like sitting around waiting for your issue to happen, but what makes it a rush is that things can change in an instant.

Do you need your teeth cleaned? Good luck getting an appointment any time soon. A lack of dental hygienists means some practices are not taking new patients and some say the shortage is the worst they’ve ever seen.

Hospitals rely on skilled staff to care for patients, but at Rutland Regional Medical Center and many other hospitals, volunteers also play a critical role.

Monica Raymond, an infection preventionist at the University of Vermont Medical Center, said some of the wounds she sees are unlike anything she has seen before.

Patients and physicians can now experience a new level of Diagnostic Imaging at Springfield Hospital. A breakthrough in nuclear medicine technology is enabling high diagnostic accuracy and low radiation dose capabilities.

Vermont’s Senate passed a bill Friday aimed at streamlining interactions between health care providers and insurers, after a flurry of last-minute back-and-forth over the legislation.

After years of studies and small pilots on prior authorization, the Senate passed H.766, a bill that provides incremental but very real reform. A last-minute amendment changed H.766 from aligning prior authorizations with Medicaid to eliminating prior authorizations for primary care providers.

In a concerted effort to improve patient care, Vermont hospitals are significantly benefiting from Trauma Responsive Care Trainings, an initiative organized by the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care (VPQHC) in collaboration with the Department of Mental Health.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders this week launched an investigation into the pricing of Ozempic and Wegovy, two drugs that are highly effective at treating diabetes and obesity, but now carry steep price tags. It comes as state officials and lawmakers weigh whether to expand Medicaid coverage that includes their prescription.