Our most popular articles of 2018

Healthcare innovation. Precision care. The evolution of the community pharmacy. These were some of the biggest topics in healthcare in 2018, and unsurprisingly, the overarching themes of some of our most popular articles of the year. Overwhelmingly, our readers have been drawn to stories that provide actionable advice for how to adapt in a changing healthcare system, as well as those that provide predictions for what might be to come.

“We aim to provide insights on the most current healthcare industry topics and trends for our readers," said Stephanie Pavol, editor of Essential Insights and a communications manager for Cardinal Health. Everyone's looking for “what's next" in healthcare, she added, so prediction-heavy pieces struck a chord with the Cardinal Health audience, as did articles with concrete take-aways that readers could use to improve their own practices.

“I think in this age of changing reimbursements and cost pressures that healthcare leaders are looking for how to manage their organizations more efficiently," Pavol added. And with Essential Insights, Cardinal Health sought to do their part to help readers make better informed decisions.

So what articles made the biggest impact in 2018? Here are the top five.

Kristina Redgrave, innovation solutions manager at Fuse by Cardinal Health, lent her expertise for a piece on where healthcare might be heading in 2018—and beyond. Her observations included the following trends:

• artificial intelligence as a solution for the waning healthcare workforce
• major mergers among health systems and payer groups, and
• senior-centric advancements designed to serve our aging population.

The piece also touched on two innovations that have made frequent appearances in Essential Insights articles this year: data analytics and blockchain technology.

In response to the Cardinal Health supply chain survey, which found that 40 percent of healthcare providers have had to cancel surgeries due to a lack of supplies, we tackled what health systems need to know in order to optimize and modernize their Operating Room (OR) supply chains. One surprising takeaway was that clinicians want a lot more input in inventory management decisions than they currently have. But they also want it to be more efficient. If OR physicians and supply chain leaders work together and with real-time data, patient care and bottom line costs could realize significant benefits.

“Precision medicine" is more than just a buzzword, especially in the oncological community, where precision techniques like CAR-T cell therapies can make all the difference in patient outcomes. Oncologists shared their hopes for the potentials of precision medicine, as well as what they believe is needed to take this to the next level. Specifically, oncologists cited greater accessibility and guidance when it comes to the genomic testing that forms the basis of targeted care.

Another piece that included the opinions of oncologists was gleaned from findings from the second edition of Cardinal Health's Oncology Insights report. More than 200 oncologists were surveyed about the issues that they believe to be of the highest importance in terms of advancing cancer care. Issues highlighted included the advancement of (and continuing barriers to) CAR-T cell therapy; the growing popularity of biosimilars and the need for cost efficiency; and the critical role genomic testing plays in targeted therapies for acute myeloid leukemia.

While this article was published in late 2017, it remains one of Essential Insights’ most-read pieces for a full year and counting. The 2017 NCPA Digest, published as part of a collaboration between the National Community Pharmacists Association and Cardinal Health, sought to better define the state of the nation's community pharmacies using key financial and demographic information. In turn, the Digest provided insights on where community pharmacies are headed and the crucial role that they play in patient care, community well-being, and ensuring the safe and effective use of medication.

 

Thank you to all of our readers for sharing your passion with us about the big conversations taking place in healthcare. We look forward to another year of providing you with more interesting and actionable stories that not only inform your practice of healthcare but advance the dialogue among all participants in this vital and fast-changing industry.