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The end of the year is finally here, and we’re reflecting back on some of our favorite reporting from our talented colleagues.
This year saw changes that included a presidential election to a reckoning in the retail pharma space as companies like Walgreens and CVS struggle to climate change-fueled hurricanes impacting Florida’s hospitals to changes in Medicare Advantage star ratings.
Here’s what we’ve enjoyed reading the most from each other.
Abortion protections are on the ballot in 10 states this November. Here’s what’s at stake
I loved this story because of the amount of time and research Caroline poured into giving readers an in-depth look at a topic that is deeply important and personal for so many. From the sources she spoke with to the quotes she selected, Caroline did a great job telling this story from multiple angles.—MA
Pharma companies are going all in on rare disease treatments
Maia is great at looking beyond the surface of healthcare trends, and this article is a prime example. The Orphan Drug Act was effective—was it too effective? She does a fantastic job of laying out the pros, cons, and lasting impact of a law that was published more than a decade before she was born.—CC
From pigs to payouts, weighing solutions for the US kidney shortage
Apparently, there’s no such thing as a free kidney. I loved how this story from Caroline got into the weird weeds surrounding compensation and reimbursements associated with donating and accepting a kidney. The best thing is the somewhat happy ending: There are solutions in the works to solve the organ shortage.—CH
I’m going to cheat and pick both stories in Caroline’s Compromised Coverage series so far. One piece dove into healthcare sharing arrangements and how patients are paying millions into plans that aren’t regulated by the federal government. The other looked into farm bureau health plans, which a number of farmers around the US turn to for coverage even though that disqualifies them for Affordable Care Act subsidies. I’m totally inspired by Caroline’s dedication to break down and uncover the ways people are trying to access healthcare in this country along with what it means about the industry and, more importantly, patient health.—CM
A look at how Mass General Brigham recovered from the CrowdStrike outage
The CrowdStrike outage was much talked about this year when it knocked hospitals across the country offline and forced healthcare workers to do something they likely haven’t done in years (or maybe ever in their careers): take notes on paper. Cassie spoke with the team at Mass General Brigham about what their day looked like as they navigated this unanticipated scenario, and how it has helped them prepare for potential future outages.—NO