Retail and tech giants have been making moves in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry over the past few years, and 2021 was no exception; pharma-aligned acquisitions reached a value of almost $22 billion.Here are seven ways some of the biggest disruptors have affected healthcare in 2021* and how they might continue to influence the industry next year, according to CBInsights. 

Qventus, the leader in care operations automation, today announced significant results achieved by health systems using the Qventus Inpatient Solution to automate discharge planning processes.

Anita Gupta, DO, PharmD, assistant professor at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine shared her predictions on trends in the healthcare industry in the year to come, reported Forbes Dec. 14. 

The pandemic exposed many flaws within the U.S healthcare system. Health systems can improve access, affordability and patient health by combining these five strategies to fix the system, as reported in Harvard Business Review Dec. 15. 

Many health systems are at various stages of migrating surgical cases from their inpatient hospital to outpatient sites of service, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).

The pandemic highlighted the interplay between primary care and public health, and many lessons have been learned over the course of 18 months on how to improve partnership between the two. Now, a new report published Dec. 14 suggests tangible actions to do just so. 

Throughout 2021, Walmart has made key expansions into healthcare, especially within the telehealth space. It has also faced issues from the fallout of the opioid crisis lawsuit.

The pandemic drastically altered the lives of millions of people in Generation Z, forcing them to reevaluate their plans, Fortune reported Dec. 13. 

Bending the relentlessly rising healthcare cost curve is spurring organizations to think beyond tactical cost-containment measures to transformational approaches. During a session sponsored by Huron at the Becker's Hospital Review 9th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable in November, Rick Roycroft and Vickie Monteith, managing directors at Huron, discussed key cost transformation strategies.

CVS is holding its first investor meeting since the start of the pandemic in which CEO Karen Lynch and other executives will share finanical progress and strategy goals with investors, CNBC reported Dec. 9. 

On Dec. 9, CVS will hold its first investor day since the start of the pandemic, pitching to its investors how it plans to bring customers to its stores using other healthcare services, CNBC reported Dec 8. 

The healthcare industry's financial challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols can help health systems reduce the length of stay, minimize post-surgical infections and decrease readmissions, which can provide much-needed financial relief.

The massive inoculation efforts in the U.S. have been led by pharmacists, emphasizing their important role in the healthcare system that shouldn't be overlooked, pharmacy student Payton Atkins wrote in the Herald Leader Dec 3. 

Deciding where to place artificial intelligence within an organization is key to optimizing productivity, increasing efficiency and keeping a competitive advantage, Harvard Business Review reported Dec. 3.

Medical practices and health systems everywhere struggle with no-shows. When patients don’t attend their appointments, care suffers—and so does the organization’s bottom line.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, progressive condition in which the arteries in the lung become stiff, thickened or narrowed, making the heart work harder to pump blood through them.

Utah officials have submitted a proposal to combine the state's health and human services departments, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Dec. 1.

Revenue cycle management is complex, difficult and costly to manage. Between the complexity of coding, transparency regulations, new market realities and shrinking hospital margins, traditional RCM processes no longer produce the desired results.

Federally qualified health centers have long cared for the uninsured and underinsured by providing free or low-cost primary care services in underserved communities.

The vaccination mandate imposed by CMS may serve to worsen patient outcomes and place serious stress on hospitals and health systems, former CMS Administrator Seema Verma wrote for The Wall Street Journal Dec. 1.