About health insurance/insurers
Medicare Advantage star ratings decline: 5 things to know “Average Medicare Advantage star ratings declined for the third year in a row, according to CMS data published Oct. 10.”
For example:
“Just seven plans received a five-star rating in 2025, down from 38 in 2024.
Around 40% of Medicare Advantage-Part D plans received four stars or higher. Around 62% of MA-PD enrollees are in plans rating four or higher, according to CMS.”
Here is more information from CMS. Of note is that “There were no major methodological changes in the 2025 Star Ratings. Minor methodological changes were included for 2025, such as increasing the weight for the Part C Plan All-Cause Readmissions measure from one to three.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
FTC finalizes premerger rule: 9 things to know The article provides a good summary of the key provisions of the rule. Click here to read the 460-page rule in full.
Site-of-care shifts 2024: Inside the latest trends and data From The Advisory Board: “Following several years of outpatient and ASC eligibility, joint replacement volumes shifted to majority outpatient. The COVID pandemic disrupted volume trends and created a clinical impetus to minimize inpatient utilization. Operational changes solidified outpatient shifts, while care practices changed across service lines, resulting in structural changes to care delivery. As we’ve seen in past analyses, local forces including the physician landscape, infrastructure, volumes and health plan activity shape the pace of change.”
Most changes are from inpatient to hospital outpatient department.
About pharma
Competition in International Generic Drug Markets “The US and Germany appeared most competitive based on the metrics analyzed, while smaller countries tended to seem less competitive. This is consistent with previous findings that market size is associated with generic competition.
Despite more manufacturers recording generic sales in most countries since 2010, the present results had potentially concerning implications in the context of increasing drug shortages, a problem that has gained increasing attention over the past decade and is now considered a crisis. Market concentration remained intractably high in all countries in 2022, meaning that supply disruptions may cause patients to switch therapies or forego treatment for a large share of drugs sold in all countries. While drug shortages are complex phenomena and caused by multiple factors, policy efforts to strengthen competition (eg, incentivizing market entry of new manufacturers and deterring market dominance) could strengthen access to medicines.”
About the public’s health
Milton spares Daytona Beach, Florida, factory that’s a critical supplier of IV fluids “B. Braun Medical’s manufacturing site and distribution center in Daytona Beach were not seriously impacted by the hurricane, said company spokesperson Allison Longenhagen. No injuries to employees have been reported.
The company, with help from the federal government, had moved more than 60 truckloads of IV solutions inventory north of Florida before the storm. Longenhagen said that will they will be returned to the distribution site.
The federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response helped coordinate trucks and drivers for the temporary move, which involved nearly 1.5 million bags of solution, a representative said Thursday.”
And in a related article:
US approves temporary imports of IV fluids as hospitals grapple with storm-related shortages “Federal health officials have approved the import of certain IV fluids from overseas as hospitals across the country scramble to deal with a Hurricane Helene-inflicted shortage…
A survey from group purchasing organization Premier Inc. found that more than 86 percent of health care providers are experiencing shortages of IV fluids in the aftermath of Helene. Shortages were evenly spread nationwide, across all provider types.”
About healthcare IT
Microsoft expands AI capabilities to shape a healthier future “On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. [unveiled] several Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare innovations that connect care experiences, enhance team collaboration, empower healthcare workers, and unlock clinical and operational insights.
Through new healthcare AI models in Azure AI Studio, capabilities for healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric, the healthcare agent service in Copilot Studio, and an AI-driven nursing workflow solution, Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare is supporting healthcare organizations on every step of their journey toward shaping a healthier future.”