Getting clear pricing information from hospitals has long been a challenge in healthcare. Executive orders from both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried—but so far failed—to get providers to share how much different types of care costs.

That’s because hospitals have repeatedly dodged these orders, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And while some fines have been doled out, the cost of care is still unclear. Fines can currently run between $300 and $5,500 per day.

A new bipartisan bill that was introduced in July by Sens. Roger Marshall and John Hickenlooper aims to address these challenges and provide clear pricing information once and for all.

The problem exists because hospitals negotiate prices independently and in private, and therefore have varying costs for different procedures compared to other hospitals—and sometimes even within the same hospital.

Could price transparency finally go into effect?—CM

Chain drug stores like CVS and Walgreens no longer rank No. 1 on the pharmacy popularity list.

Patients increasingly prefer mail-order, digital, and supermarket pharmacies, according to consumer insights advisory firm JD Power’s 2025 US Pharmacy Study released July 29.

The study, conducted from May 2024 to May 2025, included responses from 14,700 pharmacy customers who had filled a prescription within the last 12 months.

The increasing satisfaction with alternatives to chain drug stores “helps set the stage for a tipping point in the pharmacy space,” Christopher Lis, managing director of JD Power’s global healthcare practice, said in a statement.

See how pharmacies shape up here.—MA

After being part of Best Buy’s healthcare business for the past four years, virtual care platform Current Health is reclaiming its independence.

In a June 24 blog post, company co-founder Christopher McGhee announced plans to return as CEO of the newly autonomous company, which was founded in 2014 and helps health systems move patient care into home settings. Best Buy purchased the company for $400 million in 2021, though neither party disclosed the financial details of the recent divestment.

McGhee spoke with Healthcare Brew about his plans for Current Health as he takes the helm once again. He told us he wants to focus the company on treating acute and complex patient populations as opposed to long-term chronic condition management, as that’s where he believes it can “most move the needle on outcomes for the patient and cost.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What changes can we expect from Current Health now that you’re an independent company again?

I’m really trying to take us back to our scrappy startup roots. I want us to innovate and build out our product with urgency and deliver the absolute best frontline experience to our clinical users and to our patients. I want to see rapid innovation in what we do, in building our product, and expanding our product.

Here’s what the former/new CEO has planned.—MA