“Change is inevitable. You either resist it—we know who those people are—or you go with it.” I will miss Robert Redford and will re-watch all of his best movies now that he’s gone, but this quote is him just talking as a person, not in a role. His statement about change is apropos for our world at the moment, and more appropriate than some of his movie quotes, like the one from An Indecent Proposal: “Suppose I were to offer you $1 million for one night with your wife.” Not even I can figure out a segue way to a health IT topic for that one. Plus, the change-is-inevitable theme will help illustrate the importance of a new report about modernizing the healthcare system that I focus on in the One Thoughtful Paragraph.
Other news about change in the healthcare system:
- Premier, Inc.’s board approved a $2.6B buyout by Patient Square Capital to expand its supply chain, technology, and advisory services. The deal, which will take the company private, is expected to finalize in Q1 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approval.
- On September 22, the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) released Healthcare 2030: An Impact Thesis for the Digital Era of Medicine. The impact thesis outlines DiMe’s plan to focus on digital health transformation, centered around prevention, personalization, health outcomes, and sustainability.
- The FDA published three draft guidance documents for developers of Cell and Gene Therapy Products, including “Postapproval Methods to Capture Safety and Efficacy Data for Cell and Gene Therapy Products.” The guidance focuses on the use of real-world data, electronic health records, patient registries, and “decentralized” data to evaluate product performance after approval.
“Nothing’s riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country.” That’s a great quote from one of Robert Redford’s best films, All The President’s Men. It may be an appropriate theme for our world right now, but not exactly on point for health tech news. But Robert Redford (as a person, not in a role) did say “Not taking a risk is a risk.” That quote works to help us get in the headspace for a new PwC report that predicts healthcare is on the brink of a major shift toward virtual-first, AI-supported care models. PwC framed it in the form of believers and non-believers, with non-believers resisting change by clinging to legacy assets and delaying tech investments, and believers investing in next-generation models like AI-enabled intake and in-home care. It is an interesting moment when a major consulting firm feels compelled to be so open and honest about how the people paying their large consulting retainers to help them with their business should totally change their way of doing business. It is like Robert Redford said in The Horse Whisperer film: “Knowing is the easy part; saying it out loud is the hard part.”
