Commentary
ROUND OF 8 RESULTS: STALWARTS AND UPSTARTS DELIVER A MIXED BAG TO THE ROUND OF 4
This round was an entertaining romp with lots of clashes between rising stars and the old guard. The ongoing breakneck pace of change in healthcare is creating the kind of churn that has produced some interesting matchups indeed!
The final eight tournament teams are a fascinating mix of veterans, dark horses, wild cards and game changers. Building on their progress in the 2024 tournament, patient-centric teams have added to their winnings and gained even more control of the hardwood this year. Equally compelling is the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in this tournament as it hopes to break into the upper echelons of the March Healthcare Classic.
Explore the interactive bracket and watch the tournament unfold weekly on our LinkedIn page, where you can join the discussion too!
Old guard vs. wild card: Who will come out on top?
HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE REGION
Make America Healthy Again Plucks Off Approach of the Workforce Cliff
After a shocking and decisive overthrow of the 2024 champ, Make America Healthy Again (2) (MAHA) demonstrates again the disruptive potential of the new administration. Even though it was pointed out that MAHA is a relatively new notion in the Trump camp that was not a signature item on the campaign trail, and we haven’t yet received a response to MAHA from the hospital, agriculture, or grocery lobbies, MAHA muscled the game into overtime.
“MAHA WILL REQUIRE THE USE OF POLITICAL CHIPS THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE WILLING TO SPEND.”
Approach of the Workforce Cliff (3) did not roll over easily. “MAHA is moot without a workforce solution,” said one Committee member, to which another member agreed, emphasizing that MAHA stands to make the workforce problem even worse. Just because the MAHA movement could have a big impact doesn’t mean it will, said another member. In a brutal overtime, however, the long-time industry workforce shortage plague had no answer to the whirlwind attack of its upstart rival, and MAHA emerged triumphant 3-1.
Make America Healthy Again moves on to the Top Four!
CARE DELIVERY REGION
Access and Capacity Overpowers Patients Retake the Pharmacy
Both teams arrived at the arena with huge wins in the Round of 16, but it was clear from the tipoff who would run the court in this round. Access and Capacity (2), as some have said, is among THE defining challenges of healthcare across the ecosystem. People are literally dying because they cannot see a doctor in time. There is hope that the disproportionate impact on rural areas and the voices of the pro-Trump electorate living in rural communities will whip up political winds in favor of more access. Access challenges have reached a fever pitch, and one way or another this trend will create massive fallout in the industry.
“THE FRICTION BETWEEN PROVIDERS AND INSURERS, AND BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL CARE ALL BOILS DOWN TO ACCESS ISSUES.”
Meanwhile, Patients Retake the Pharmacy (6) while an impressive consumer-first team that has become very talented in a short time, doesn’t have the seismic impact that we see with Access and Capacity. To be sure, it’s an important trend with a bright future that underscores the growing power of consumers, and this team has nothing to hang its head about. It simply lacked the deep bench of its opponent.
Welcome to the Top Four, Access and Capacity!
PAYMENT REGION
Medicare Advantage Doubles Down Turns Out the Lights on Pricing Transparency
Medicare Advantage Doubles Down (1) continues its top-seeded dominance with chops-licking energy headed into this round. Now the bastion of the most socially influential generation in American history, it’s obvious why this team is so powerful and why it keeps getting invited back to the March Healthcare Classic. Baby Boomer retirees are joining Medicare en masse with great utilization of Medicare Advantage, and this government program is very effective in blocking out most opponents – even during a down year. Never having won a championship, however, a more powerful trend usually finds a vulnerability to exploit. For 2025, Price Transparency is not that trend.
“UNDER BIDEN, MEDICARE ADVANTAGE TOOK IT ON THE CHIN. BUT SENIORS LOVE MA AND THEY HAVE A POWERFUL LOBBY. MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MAY BE DOWN BUT IT’S FAR FROM OUT.”
Price Transparency (6) has been among the great hopes for a healthcare revolution. That revolution has not come to pass, but we cannot count out this trend yet. There is significant entrenchment in the employer, payor, and provider spaces even though it has yet to have much impact on patient decisions. A regulatory framework should protect the momentum of this trend for many years, although the unpredictability of the Trump administration is a wild card, even regarding ideas it supported the last time around. This year, however, it’s bag-packing time for Price Transparency.
Congratulations, Medicare Advantage Doubles Down, for making it to the Top Four!
TECHNOLOGY REGION
AI’s Resurgent Debut Barely Survives Continued Rise of Consumer-Facing Digital Technologies
Among the more exhilarating games in this year’s tournament, this nail-biter looked like it might go on forever. Going into the game, AI’s Resurgent Debut (1) was the highly favored team, but Continued Rise of Consumer-Facing Digital Technologies (5) brought the thunder. It took quick offensive advantage of the healthcare industry’s historic and famous inability to adopt cutting edge technology, and for a time it looked like consumer devices might have the edge. Consumer-facing devices are another patient-forward in-road, with use that cuts across generations. These devices are experiencing a significant market climb with the rise of health-tracking rings, watches, smart scales, sleep trackers, fitness bands, glucose monitors, and other related products.
“PROVIDERS STILL USE FAX MACHINES FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE.”
But AI proved its mettle as it clawed back from deficits in two overtimes, and a three-point buzzer beater sealed the game. The speed by which this team can adapt is mind-blowing, and while it’s got plenty of weaknesses, no team so far has the answer for the versatility of AI. All agreed that even stodgy old healthcare is unable to deny the lure of AI. Victory was decided by a tie-breaking vote with the declaration, “I don’t see a world in which AI doesn’t make headway.”
“AI IS LIKE THAT SENIOR TEAM YOU REMEMBER FOR YEARS. VERY LITTLE REGULATION PLUS TONS OF INNOVATION AND ADOPTION.”
This edge-of-your-seat thriller left everyone breathless. We wish the best of luck to AI’s Resurgent Debut in the Top Four!
Which trends do you think will shape the industry in 2025?
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