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The Strategist in Brief: June 5, 2025 · The Strategy Catalyst Dispatch

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  This is the strategist in brief for June 5th, 2025.
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  HHS released the MAHA report laying out the administration's stance on the state of children's health and the purported drivers of pediatric chronic diseases.
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  The report blames a long-term rise in childhood, chronic illness and neurodevelopmental disorders on poor diets and environmental exposures to chemicals.
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  It also highlights a crisis in youth behavioral health.
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  And raises concerns about Overmedicalization and Overdiagnosis.
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  While the report doesn't recommend specific policy interventions, it clearly lays the groundwork for a sweeping multi-agency agenda on children's health that could shape federal priorities for the next four years.
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  Health systems can shape the narrative on childhood health and prevention by taking the lead on addressing upstream drivers like nutrition and behavioral health.
• 0:52
  Declining trust in vaccines could have health consequences and an impact on health system and provider reputations.
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  The MAHA agenda could shape future CMS payment models, especially for Medicare, Medicaid dual eligible patients, but this is largely speculative for now.
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  And another piece of news Best Buy reported a$109 million charge linked to the restructuring of its health business.
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  Just months after reporting a$475 million impairment charge for the same segment.
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  The retailer struggles appeared to be linked to its home health and hospital at home efforts.
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  The company has been highly dependent on health system partnerships to gain a foothold in the hospital at home market, but eventually saw diminishing growth amid uncertainty over the federal waiver.
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  From the perspective of Health Systems Best Buys retreat highlights the limits of a tech enable and support model.
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  When it isn't paired with deeper clinical or financial integration.
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  In other news, the departments of Labor HHS and Treasury released new price transparency guidance for healthcare organizations.
• 1:59
  As part of that push, CMS will now require hospitals to list actual prices of items and services instead of estimates.
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  We don't expect consumers themselves to dive into hospital price data spreadsheet.
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  But the data could be invaluable for commercial insurance Navigator services like Garner and Schist.
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  If the administration's efforts gain traction systems with higher negotiated rates or opaque pricing structures may find themselves exposed reputationally.
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  And now our final piece of news.
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  Talkspace has partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to streamline psychiatric medicine, fulfillment, and home delivery if the partnership is successful.
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  Amazon could become the go-to mail order pharmacy partner for other virtual care disruptors, giving the company a growing number of footholds in the market to capture patients and scale up.
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  That concludes this week's strategist and brief.
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  Be sure to check out the full version on the web@hmacademy.com.
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  Thanks for listening.