Americans Are Health Information Seekers — Far Above All, Valuing Info from Providers and Medically-Trained Sources (and lessons for AI in health)
A commentary in Nature Medicine this week asserts that, “Quality health infomration for all is a fundamental determinant of health.” Lawrence Gostin, a learned health care legal expert at Georgetown, and colleagues, note that, “Society is at a turning point, faced with misleading guidance and ubiquitous, fast-spreading digital and social media…Amplified by generative AI, poor quality information corrodes trust in science and drives social and political polarization.” With the context in mind that health information is a social determinant of health, we turn to a report from the Pew Research Group which asks and answers the question, Where do Americans
Past is Prologue as CVS Returns to Its “CVS Pharmacy” Roots – What it Means for Health Consumers and Retail Health (with a nod to Colruyt Group in Belgium)
Going back to its roots, CVS Health announced plans to open 20 “apothecary-style” pharmacies around the U.S., the first of which was sited in Chicago’s West End. The new brick-and-mortar stores will average 3,000 square feet, providing full-service pharmacies staffed by licensed pharmacists. “Pharmacists are among the most accessible and most trusted health care providers,” Len Shankman, EVP and President of Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness for CVS Health is quoted in the press release for the plans. This new footprint is meant to enable “pharmacy teams to continue to build relationships with patients
Doctors and Consumers in America Agree: Health Care Access and Affordability Rank Top of Mind in March 2026 (surveys from Athenahealth and Gallup)
In uncannily-timed releases of two surveys in March 2026, we see that U.S. physicians and consumers both rank health care access and affordability as the top issue they face — for medical practices among doctors, and for everyday life worries among U.S. health citizens. On the physician front, The 2026 Physician Sentiment Survey was published by Athenahealth, gauging U.S. doctors’ views on the state of medical practice and healthcare in America. “Over the past three years,” Athenahealth observes, “access to affordable healthcare has risen sharply to become
I'm grateful to be part of the Duke Corporate Education faculty, sharing perspectives on the future of health care with health and life science companies. Once again, I'll be brainstorming the future of health care with a cohort of executives working in a global pharmaceutical company.