Commentary
ROUND OF 16 RESULTS: TOP DOGS HOLD THE LINE, PATIENTS AND AI RULE THE DAY
Higher ranked teams held their positions in the Round of 16 this year, a stark contrast to last year when the underdogs steamrolled the field. What didn’t change is the strength and success among trends focused on patients, which has been joined by a bolder new undercurrent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Consumers are giving no ground and continue their advance as the market cracks wide open and further establishes patients as a force to be reckoned with in healthcare – a trend that many say is long overdue. In the Round of 16, watch as the patient-forward trends and the AI phenom double-team much of the competition out of the bracket.
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Who’s moving on to the Round of 8? Let the showdown begin!
HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE REGION
Evolution of GLP-1s Extinguished by Make America Healthy Again
A giant falls! The glittering 2024 newcomer that took it all in a stunning championship run last year is OUT of the 2025 March Healthcare Classic! As a proxy for the disruption that the new White House is delivering as promised, the former bracket buster Evolution of GLP-1s (1) has been laid to waste by new kid in town Make American Healthy Again (2) in a 4-0 train wreck.
Approach of Workforce Cliff Eviscerates Capital Markets Thaw
Capital Markets Thaw (4) barely survived its bout in the Round of 32 and had nothing left for this contest, especially against the Approach of Workforce Cliff (3) machine. It was noted by one Committee member that the workforce shortage isn’t limited to nurses and doctors but also includes support and custodian staff. The immigration policies of the new administration may exacerbate this problem, helping this workforce trend sail through 4-0 to the Round of 8.
CARE DELIVERY REGION
Access & Capacity Flattens Preventative Care
Access & Capacity (2) is literally a life and death problem for many patients, said one Committee member, especially in rural areas and in certain fields like reproductive and pregnancy care. While Preventative Care (8) certainly has a bright future, this trend could not compete with the five-alarm fire that is the access problem in America and loses hard and fast, 4-0.
Patients Retake the Pharmacy Upsets Tying Senior Living and Long Term Care
While any trend involving the Baby Boomers should be considered a force, pharmacy pain is just as much an older adult issue as their living situation and long-term care arrangement. This was a good game of two consumer-first trends with some exciting back-and-forth play, but the fans and the decibel meter told the whole story: the “deafening chant” of Patients Retake the Pharmacy (6) silenced the “low hum” of Tying Senior Living and Long Term Care (4) in the first upset of this round, 4-0.
PAYMENT REGION
Medicare Advantage Doubles Down Bulldozes Fall of PSHPs
Despite its upset in the Round of 32, Fall of PSHPs (7) was no match for Medicare Advantage Doubles Down (1) – in fact, the irony of this contest is that off court, MA is literally gaining strength due to the fall of provider-sponsored health plans. “Like a Pacman gobbling up the vulnerable players,” said one Committee member, as Medicare Advantage Doubles Down leaves the Fall of PSHPs for dead, 4-0.
Price Transparency Slides Past Direct Contracting with Employers
Despite its All-Star status and consistently good tournament performance over the years, Direct Contracting with Employers (5) never manages to advance far, and this year is no different. Despite some great moves and flashy transitions that were fun to watch, the accelerating momentum of Price Transparency (6) and its interest from major industry stakeholders as well as back-to-back administrations was just too much to bear. The five-seed goes down in a minor upset 3-1.
TECHNOLOGY REGION
AI’s Resurgent Debut Smokes Digital Therapeutics Rise in New Areas
AI is no longer the pesky ankle-biter of previous tournaments but a bomb cyclone with healthcare impacts that go up, down, left, right, backward, forward, in and out. The first round loss of its Clinical Decision JV team is immaterial, because this trend had multiple tournament tickets and one of them was bound to penetrate. AI’s Resurgent Debut (1) barely broke a sweat in this game, while Digital Therapeutics Rise in New Areas (2) was carried off the court with career-ending injuries in this 4-0 dismantling.
Continued Rise of Consumer-Facing Digital Technologies Ejects Rise of Telehealth in Specialty Care
Even though telehealth is here to stay and growing stronger, consumers flex yet again in this blowout contest. Continued Rise of Consumer-Facing Digital Technologies (5) was clearly more talented than Rise of Telehealth in Specialty Care (6), as the patient-centric wave rolls over the industry like a tsunami. Rise of Telehealth goes down 4-0 without much fight.
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