Healthcare Brew’s greatest hits of 2023

Just like your family promises, we swear we love each and every one of our stories equally. Still, some stories stood out as reader favorites, and we’d be remiss to let them go unnoticed. Without further ado, here are the top 10 stories published by your favorite healthcare reporters in 2023. We’ll see you in 2024! 🎉

1. How does a VC decide to fund a healthcare startup? by Maia Anderson

Venture capitalists (VCs) are taking the world by storm, and the healthcare industry isn’t immune to their influence. Maia interviewed Sharla Grass, a health tech VC at Greycroft, to demystify the process.

2. How the resumption of Medicaid redeterminations could affect enrollment by Shannon Young

Shannon’s story from February really hit the nail on the head about what was to come from the Medicaid unwinding process, i.e., lots of bureaucracy and enrollees falling through the cracks. Any story about Medicaid redeterminations is well received by our readers, but this one especially stood out.

3. Existing AI technology could save healthcare $360b annually by Maia Anderson

Everyone wants to know how artificial intelligence (AI) will shape the next decade, but Maia looked at how much AI will save the healthcare industry. With margins like these, healthcare leaders might want to start looking into how they can integrate AI ASAP.

4. Google Health rolls out new tech offerings to improve access to care, health outcomes by Amanda Eisenberg

What reporter (or anyone, frankly) would pass up free lunch at Google? Jk, but the best lunch in New York City did come with an interesting presentation about what the tech giant rolled out this year. From ultrasounds to large language models, Google is forging ahead in developing some of the latest tech.

5. How a drug gets its name by Maia Anderson

Maia couldn’t help but wonder: How does a drug get its name? So she investigated, and the process is pretty fascinating. Maybe when you’re singing the Ozempic jingle, you’ll think twice about how the drug got its name.

6. Best Buy’s new healthcare unit is all about bringing the hospital home by Maia Anderson

Best Buy, huh? That’s been the overall reaction to the consumer electronics retailer going into the home care space. Maia’s story (she’s been very busy this year) delves into Best Buy’s healthcare strategy, and it’s definitely not one to miss.

7. Digital transformation: How the trend is shaping US healthcare by Shannon Young

At Healthcare Brew we’re all about decoding jargon, so Shannon took a stab at the latest buzzword: digital transformation. Her story looked at how health systems like Cleveland Clinic are integrating new tech (or not) into their businesses.

8. How 3 companies came to dominate the PBM market by Maia Anderson

This story grew out of an age-old problem: We were sick and tired of explaining what a pharmacy benefit manager is and why it’s important in healthcare. But readers wanted to know! (Plus, we’ve dropped this link in the dozens of PBM stories we’ve written since then.)

9. Are any healthcare jobs not experiencing shortages right now? by Maia Anderson

Still no! (Probably. We haven’t looked at new data in a minute, but from the looks of our inboxes, shortages are worsening.) Everyone’s complaining about nurse shortages, but healthcare institutions are still suffering across the board to fill open positions.

10. Biden administration designates 10 ‘biotech hubs’ across US by Maia Anderson

A newsier piece, but who isn’t in the market for free money? The White House is looking to boost the tech industry’s growth beyond the coasts, and it’s ponying up the dough to help 10 biotech hubs do just that.

Methodology: Using our handy-dandy analytics database, Healthcare Brew compiled this top 10 list based on the number of newsletter subscribers the stories generated. Thanks for reading and subscribing! Xoxo