Reader's Choice: Our 10 Most Popular Market Scan Articles in 2024

It was another tumultuous year in health care. Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast leaving hospitals — and supply chains — overwhelmed for months. Many major health care retail disruptors significantly altered or scaled back their plans to provide primary care and other services. And cybersecurity threats, often surfacing through third-party devices, continue to plague the field. Through it all, the AHA’s Market Scan has provided news and insights on topics that are disruptive and innovative in the field. Here are the top 10 most-read articles from 2024. — Bob Kehoe, editor

5 Health Care Workforce Shortage Takeaways for 2028

A study, based on research conducted by the Mercer consultancy and its partner Lightcast, provides projections, context and analysis on some of the more nuanced shortages among the clinical workforce and which states may be impacted most and least by shifting market conditions, demographics and other factors. READ MORE »

4 Keys to Managing Third-Party Cybersecurity Risk

Like a mutating virus, the tactics used by bad actors to steal information, delay and disrupt patient care as well as shut down vital systems, putting patient care and safety at risk, continue to evolve. When mission- and life-critical third-party providers of health care are attacked by ransomware, so are you. READ MORE »

3 Ways to Reimagine Care Delivery to Support Your Workforce

The AHA 2025 Health Care Workforce Scan is based on the latest reports, studies and other data sources and offers valuable insights into the workforce landscape, and practical guidance from experts and peers to help your organization navigate the future. READ MORE »

Top Priority — 3 Emergency Preparedness Tips

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene last September is the latest example of how quickly health facility emergency preparedness plans can be severely tested. Hospital and health system executives share important lessons they have learned about how to ensure the continuity of care even at the worst of times. READ MORE »

How Health Care Is Evolving to Improve the Patient Experience

Michael Anne Kyle, R.N., MPH, Ph.D., an intensive care unit nurse and health policy expert, says her research reveals that patients often face “invisible costs” of time, stress and financial strain in trying to navigate the complex health care system. READ MORE »

Are AI Chatbots Ready to Aid in Clinical Decision-Making?

In a research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine in December 2023, physician-scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston compared a chatbot’s large language model reasoning abilities directly against human performance using standards developed to assess physicians. READ MORE »

Why Are Walgreens, CVS and Walmart Scaling Back on Health Care?

In 2024, retail health care faced significant disruption as industry giants like Walgreens, CVS and Walmart reevaluated their health care strategies in response to rising operational costs, reimbursement challenges and shifting market conditions. READ MORE »

Is Your Hospital's Operating Model Built for the Future?

A new AHA Market Scan Trailblazers report highlights how two health systems are successfully leveraging new operational models to respond sustainably to the evolving market forces transforming their health care economies. READ MORE »

4 Ways AI Is Accelerating Care Delivery Innovation

Leaders from across the health care field met at the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Summit to explore how technology solutions and strategic reforms can lead to a more sustainable and equitable health care environment. AI was a central theme in presentations focusing on how AI can radically influence patient care. READ MORE »

How to Strengthen Your Nurse Retention Strategy

Forward-thinking organizations are building more resilient, effective and robust nurse retention strategies in the wake of their COVID-19 experiences. They also are adopting a continuous improvement approach to make retention efforts more nimble and more responsive to the changing needs of their nursing workforce. READ MORE »

NOTE: Market Scan will not publish Dec. 24 and 31 due to the holidays. We will resume publishing on Jan. 14, 2025.