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.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer for men and women in Vermont, and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the state, said Dr. Randy Holcombe, the director of the University of Vermont Cancer Center and an expert in colorectal cancer.

Health care providers have rallied behind legislation that would limit how insurers could respond to orders and claims submitted by clinicians. But insurance companies say the bill would significantly drive up the cost of premiums. For weeks, health care providers have been telling lawmakers horror stories about dealing with insurance companies.

Nearly 3 in 10 Americans lack access to primary medical care, which is essential to detecting chronic health problems in early, treatable stages, if not preventing them altogether. Caring for the millions who have chronic diseases already accounts for 90 percent of the nation's $4 trillion in annual health-care costs. Dramatic increases that lie ahead in the population past the age of 50 will bring new demands.

Just as robins and crocuses signal spring, the signs of the legislative session winding down are upon us. Each day holds multiple highs and lows as various proposals come up and just as easily float away until next year or get stuck into other bills. Follow everything that’s happening below!

Vermont's health care providers have taken aim at health insurance companies, targeting excessive bureaucracy, and the practice of requiring prior authorization for needed procedures and drugs, as compromising patient care and increasing costs, even though prior authorization is intended to lower costs by preventing unnecessary or misguided care.

Last week, I attended a press conference of health care providers and patient advocates supporting prior authorizations and step therapy reform in H.766 (spotlighted in this week’s Update). After Bob Kinzel’s first question, I briefly wondered if anyone would feel hesitant about going to the podium.