What's Next, Now: April 2024
This month, our crystal ball predicts cracks in the healthcare system starting to affect personal health, a new era of sports sponsorships, and more.
We’ve been keeping a close eye on the months-long (and still ongoing) development of the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident, cited as “the most significant and consequential cyberattack on the U.S. healthcare system in American history.” The initial breach of the UnitedHealth-owned company occurred on February 12, days before the attack was executed, and the effects continue to reverberate. Claims processing and operations have only just been restored, medical providers aren’t receiving payments, lawmakers are considering the effects of healthcare mergers, and hackers claim to be selling sensitive data accessed in the cyberattack.
While this cyberattack highlights some significant shortcomings of the American healthcare system, other symptoms are also emerging. The number of medications actively in shortage broke records this month. Producers of GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic aren’t able to meet demand, pushing patients to pursue alternative — and potentially unsafe — means to acquire them. Pharmacies are struggling to retain staff. (And we won’t even get into the avian flu situation…)
With an election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration is taking steps to improve drug costs and access to care. But do these steps go deep enough to address the deep, systemic challenges facing healthcare?
Healthcare touches everyone, and these disruptions have significant effects on perception of the institution and individual access to necessary care. The longer and more frequently these weaknesses appear in the everyday lives of the public, the more likely that trust in our healthcare system will continue to degrade. Notably, these shifts in trust have the potential to exacerbate health misinformation.
From a business perspective, bolstering your crisis plan and response process could help you avoid the social and financial outcomes UnitedHealthcare is facing. Brands have already begun strengthening their existing communications staff, but keep an eye out for an increase in companies hiring for specialized crisis management roles, especially in the healthcare field.
*Data from UnitedHealth, CBS News, and the American Hospital Association