Health

CVS Health explores possible company breakup: A series of concurrent headwinds are impacting multiple sectors of CVS Health’s business, leading concerned investors to step in and try to force its hand.

Docs deem AI Overviews a risky source of medical information: AI-generated summaries of users’ health searches are imperfect. They’ll need to get better given consumers' many options to obtain health info.

Doctors are using genAI to respond to their patients’ MyChart messages: But patients aren’t always aware, which can erode the trust underpinning the patient-physician relationship.

TikTok, World Health Organization join forces to combat medical misinformation: After being scrutinized for the impact that misinformation on its platform has had on younger users, TikTok is taking a page out of YouTube’s book to fight it.

Most patients are anxious before going to the doctor: But they settle in once they’re in the appointment. We explore how healthcare marketers and providers could use these patient sentiments to their advantage.

9amHealth, Instacart tackle obesity with healthy food and GLP-1s: We think that employer and health plan customers will be pleased with the program’s less costly approach than prescription weight loss drugs alone.

Global consumers feel pressured by society to improve their well-being: Marketers have a unique opportunity to re-write the narrative of the well-being space with a lighter spin.

FTC sues drug middlemen for artificially inflating insulin prices: FTC Chair Lina Khan is coming after pharmacy benefit managers while delivering a shot across the bow to the entire pharmaceutical industry.

FDA approves AstraZeneca’s flu vaccine for at-home administration: But we’re not certain FluMist’s convenient nasal spray format gives it enough of an edge over traditional vaccines to drive adoption among vaccine hesitant Americans.

Advocate Health cancels liens, forgives medical debt of thousands: The health system’s abrupt decision to forgive patients’ debt is a play to save face after the results of an eye-opening investigation were published.

The US healthcare system spends high, but ranks low on overall performance: We unpack the reasons why the US is performing worse than all other high-income countries when it comes to delivering healthcare, and explore how the upcoming presidential election could signal changes.

Healthcare providers, payers increase IT investments: In light of the devastating fallout of the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, providers and payers alike are hedging against future cybersecurity threats.

Hackensack Meridian Health, K Health roll out 24/7 primary care service: Incumbents like Hackensack Meridian are responding to patient expectations for convenient access to healthcare.

Senators target misleading drug ads on social media with new legislation: We examine the ramifications for marketers and ad agencies who are part of the health influencer economy.

23andMe’s board resigns: After years of ill-fated endeavors, the en masse resignation marks the latest blow to 23andMe, which has been hemorrhaging cash and yet to turn a profit.

Express Scripts sues the FTC: The pharmacy benefit manager is demanding the retraction of an agency report critical of pharma’s middlemen. Even if that happens, the damage to PBMs’ reputation is done.

Amazon adds Talkspace to digital health benefits program: The partnership dovetails with Talkspace’s push to reach more patients by partnering with health insurers and employers.

Elevance, doctors quarrel over volume of Ozempic prescriptions: The insurer doesn’t want to cover Ozempic to treat obesity. But are healthcare providers the ones to blame?

Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme rolls out “GLP-1” weight loss supplement: The move is ingenious from a marketing perspective. But the brand could find itself in drugmakers’ crosshairs with already confusing marketing about the supplement’s key ingredient.

More women than men skip out on medical care: Marketers should make more meaningful connections with female consumers, many of whom are the key healthcare decision-makers in their households.