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As states prepare for the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), several are incorporating Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a successful telementoring and capacity-building program that began in 2003 in New Mexico to connect primary care clinicians with multidisciplinary teams of specialists using videoconferencing to co-manage complex patient cases and share best practices.
Fewer than a third of people with commercial coverage say that their plans represent a "trusted partner" in their health, according to a new report. JD Power released its annual survey of attitudes toward commercial health plans, and found a satisfaction score of 562 on a 1,000-point scale. Just 30% of enrollees view their health plan as a key partner, and many said they view insurers as focused more on cost containment rather than supporting them in their health journeys.
3 big shifts for the GLP-1 market
In 2026, the U.S. prescription drug market is predicted to exceed $1 trillion for the first time, and GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Zepbound and Wegovy are the primary drivers of this growth. GLP-1s accounted for 14% of U.S. drug spending last year, with these drugs costing $131.9 billion of the $915.2 billion spent on all prescriptions in 2025. The GLP-1 market is accelerating — and three developments in recent months could define its next chapter. Here is what hospital and health system leaders need to know.
Employers are Scaling AI Use in Health Benefits, but Face Challenges
Employers are planning to rapidly expand their use of AI in health benefits over the next couple of years, but are struggling with resources and governance, according to a new survey from WTW. The survey, published last week, found that only 20% of employers are actively using AI within their benefits programs. However, this will change quickly, as 72% of employers are planning to add AI into their benefits programs in the next two years.
Can Epic get any bigger?
While Epic continued to get larger in 2025, the company had its slowest year of EHR market share growth over the past half-decade. But health system CIOs predict the healthcare IT giant can keep expanding its reach, as the company increasingly designs software products outside the traditional EHR. Epic’s development of an enterprise resource planning platform could help health systems further reduce their application footprint.
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