Fierce Healthcare

2026 is set to open in a complex healthcare environment, with rising costs and evolving policy priorities felt across the spectrum.

The number of concierge and direct primary care practices grew by 83% from 2018 to 2023, the researchers found. Clinicians are worried about the traditional primary care model’s shortcomings, the study noted, including growing admin burdens, growing patient complexity and low reimbursement rates.

AI tools may look smart, but most can’t take action and add more work. Here’s why Operational AI delivers outcomes that surface-level tools can’t.

The rule proposes to eliminate 34 out of 60 requirements for certified health IT in an effort to deregulate the health IT industry. The approach helps execute President Donald Trump's executive order on deregulation, the office said.

President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act calls for hefty federal cuts to Medicaid and new work requirements. Healthcare leaders have been scrambling to reach out to patients who will be impacted, prepare for shrinking margins and mitigate coming gaps in care.

CMS' Innovation Center has released two new drug pricing models that base rebates on international drug prices, which are significantly lower than what U.S. consumers pay for the same products.

Federal policy changes, accelerating healthcare costs and shifting business priorities dominate the headlines for Fierce Health Payer's most-read stories of 2025.

There are macro trends that are creating momentum behind hybrid care—sweeping Medicaid cuts, rising healthcare costs, advances in AI and tech and the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, executives said.

The Trump administration's rapid moves to reshape the federal government, a Department of Justice lawsuit against Medicare Advantage insurers, layoffs and Walgreens' take-private deal were top of mind for Fierce Healthcare readers in 2025.

A federal grand jury indicted Done Global for its role in what prosecutors allege was a $100 million scheme to illegally distribute Adderall and other ADHD medications over the internet.

The Trump administration is proposing updates to price transparency requirements for payers in a move regulators say will make the information more accurate and accessible.

The HHS wants to hear from the healthcare industry about ways to speed up the adoption of artificial intelligence in medical treatment.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has formed a new office to manage its rural health transformation initiatives.

When UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley returned to the helm of the healthcare giant earlier this year, he committed to a deep review of the company's processes in the wake of months of turmoil.

Nominations are now open for Fierce Healthcare's Fierce 15 of 2026. Think you've got what it takes to make the list? Submit your company.

As the final days of 2025 slip away, Congress is poised to allow the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidies to fully expire.

ChristianaCare and Virtua Health have pulled the plug on their merger plans, jettisoning a deal that would have created a health system with a combined $6.3 billion in annual revenue.

The Trump administration has revealed what comes next when the ACO REACH model concludes at the end of 2026.

Earlier this year, Optum Rx announced that it would shift to a cost-based model, which would boost reimbursements for brand-name drugs at community pharmacies.

Integrating AI and analytics to improve SNAP payment errors offers a path to compliance, cost savings, and restored public trust.