As the price of treating cancer skyrockets, employers are searching for ways to keep a lid on those costs.

Total nationwide cancer care spending is expected to reach more than $245 billion annually by 2030, according to the American Association for Cancer Research, as more patients are diagnosed at younger ages. With about half the US population on employer-sponsored health insurance plans, those employers are footing a bigger portion of bills.

Naturally, many employers are looking for ways to reduce those costs. Enter Carrum Health.

Founded in 2014, Carrum connects employers to a network of more than 400 of what its execs call “centers of excellence” that use value-based care payment models to reduce overall spending on cancer treatment. Founder and CEO Sach Jain told Healthcare Brew this model can save employers on cancer care costs.

Keep reading here.—MA

Did you know that the average prenatal appointment in the US lasts only 12 minutes and that 95% of women are nutritionally depleted before, during, and after pregnancy?

Needed Academy aims to bridge this nutritional knowledge gap, democratizing access to vital information through a free, easily accessible program—and equipping health advocates to share the latest, evidence-based information.

Check out Needed Academy, a free, first-of-its-kind perinatal health education program.

In a significant strategy pivot, Walgreens is considering selling its VillageMD primary care subsidiary just three years after purchasing it for $5.2 billion, according to an August 7 SEC filing.

VillageMD clinics provide primary care services, with many locations attached to Walgreens pharmacies. The retail pharmacy chain’s goal when it first bought VillageMD was to get into the value-based care business, which managing partner Michael Abrams at healthcare consulting firm Numerof & Associates previously told Healthcare Brew is a lucrative expansion opportunity for pharmacies.

In the SEC filing, Walgreens executives said they’re “evaluating a variety of options” for VillageMD, which “could include a sale of all or part of the VillageMD businesses, possible restructuring options, and other strategic opportunities.”

Walgreens announced in March that it would close 160 VillageMD clinics following a $6 billion net loss reported in Q2 2024 earnings. Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth then said in late June that although the company would reduce its stake in VillageMD, it would continue to “believe in [its] future” and “remain an investor and partner,” as Healthcare Brew reported at the time.

Keep reading here.—MA

Cyberattacks are causing issues across all sorts of industries, from Microsoft to AT&T to Ascension. But it looks like the healthcare industry is getting hit the hardest—financially, at least.

The 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report from IBM and think tank Ponemon Institute found that the global average cost of a data breach rose 10% between March 2023 and February 2024, reaching a total average cost of $4.88 million in that period. Costs for disruptions to business processes and post-breach customer support and remediation were the largest drivers behind the increase.

However, of the 17 industries studied, healthcare had the most expensive data breaches, with an average cost of $9.77 million during that same period. In fact, healthcare has held the No. 1 spot for costliest breaches since 2011, according to the study.

For comparison, the next highest average cost was in finance, at $6.08 million.

Keep reading here.—CM

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