FHIweekly 9/25/25: How to protect patients and medical professionals + Tampa General gets big results with OR optimization platform

September 25, 2025 | Volume XVI | Issue 39

PBMs are reportedly aiming to get ahead of regulatory reform

Fierce Healthcare reports:

Industry groups representing pharmacies are expressing concern about a new media report that suggests pharmacy benefit managers are looking to get out ahead of potential reform efforts.

Policy changes for the PBM industry have seen bipartisan support, though meaningful actions haven't made it out of Congress yet. But a new report from Bloomberg suggests the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), which represents PBMs, is coming directly to the Trump administration with new proposals.

In the article, it says the PCMA is pitching business changes to the CMS...

How to protect patients and medical professionals

Brooke Miller

I had the privilege of addressing the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons this past Friday at their annual meeting and convention. I spoke on a topic that I’d never addressed publicly before, but one in which I feel quite versed through hard-won experience. During my medical career, which spans four decades, I’ve witnessed profound changes in medicine. But what we’ve seen happen over the past decade isn’t just change—it’s a fundamental transformation that should frighten every American who values quality healthcare.

When I began my career in the 1980s, physicians were truly independent professionals. We owned our practices, made clinical decisions based on our training and experience, and were accountable primarily to our patients and our consciences. The doctor-patient relationship was sacred, protected by both medical ethics and legal precedent. We had time to listen, to think, to develop comprehensive treatment plans tailored to each individual patient.

Today’s reality is starkly different. Physicians are no longer in control of our profession. We’ve witnessed unprecedented interference and control over every facet of medical care, and it’s accelerating at an alarming pace.

Tampa General gets big results with OR optimization platform

Healthcare IT News reports:

Tampa General Hospital's surgical teams lacked up-to-date, complete data about what was actually happening inside their operating rooms.

Without this timely information, staff needed to make critical scheduling and efficiency decisions with little concrete data to guide them. These data challenges created a ripple effect, and surgeries were often delayed, as well. As all operating room staff know, when one surgery runs over schedule, it impacts the entire day.

The Florida hospital also struggled with extended turnover times, which measure the period between one patient...

Experimental gene therapy slows Huntington's disease in trial

Reuters

UniQure's experimental gene therapy for Huntington's disease, known as AMT-130, has shown promising results in slowing the progression of the disease. In an early-to-mid stage study, the therapy reduced disease progression by 75% at 36 months in patients who received a high dose. This significant reduction in disease progression is a key goal of the trial and indicates potential disease-modifying effects in Huntington's disease. The therapy also slowed the decline of functional abilities in patients by 60%, a secondary goal of the trial. The therapy was generally well-tolerated, with no new serious side effects reported since late 2022. UniQure plans to submit a marketing application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in early 2026, with hopes of launching the therapy later that year if approved.

Watch the video HERE.

Inside

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