Most-Favored-Nation Deals Expand to Nine Companies, Keeler Explains Why Data Exchange Sucks (It’s the Networks, Not the Software), and fMRI Emerges as Key Tool in Personalized Psychiatry

Hey all,

Happy Monday! EMRs are nearly universally terrible because they’re designed to maximize billing, not clinical utility or data sharing. Brendan Keeler’s analysis confirms what anyone who’s touched an EMR knows—interoperability doesn’t work. Some EMRs are violating federal law by illgally opting out entirely and have gone without meaningful punishment. The only system I’ve heard clinicians consistently praise is CanvasEMR, though until broken interoperability stops being a profitable choice, we’ll keep commissioning studies about why doctors hate their software.

Enjoy the rundown!

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)

(Fierce Pharma) More Drugmakers Reach US Drug Price Deal with Trump Administration

Nine major pharmaceutical companies—including Amgen, GSK, Merck, Sanofi, and Novartis—have struck “most-favored-nation” (MFN) pricing deals with the Trump administration, agreeing to lower U.S. drug prices in exchange for tariff relief and regulatory incentives. These agreements aim to align U.S. prices with those in other developed countries and follow similar deals by Pfizer, Lilly, and Novo Nordisk, as Trump pushes for global price parity on new drugs. While the initial list of discounted drugs is a significant step, it highlights just how much room remains for broader cost reductions across the U.S. pharmaceutical market. Full Article

(HealthAPI Guy) Simplified Analysis of Interoperability Papers

Healthcare data expert Brendan Keeler analyzed two new studies on interoperability and found that while doctors often blame electronic health records (EHRs) for data issues, the real problem is deeper: many systems still aren’t fully connected to national networks, and the data they exchange is incomplete or inconsistent. Keeler explains that big EHR systems like Epic often perform better simply because they’re more connected, while smaller or independent practices struggle to send or receive usable data at all. He uses simple examples—like how medications are easier to handle because of nearly universal data sources like Surescripts—to show that network participation and data completeness matter more than fancy software features. Until all systems talk to each other and share the same kind of data reliably, doctors will keep feeling like interoperability is broken. Full Article.

(Meet Radial) fMRI vs MRI Explained

Frontier psychiatry practice Radial, which recently raised $50 million from General Catalyst, breaks down the key difference between MRI and fMRI—MRI shows what the brain looks like, while fMRI reveals what it’s doing in real time. Understanding this distinction helps demystify brain scans and explains why fMRI is increasingly used in precision psychiatry to guide treatments like SAINT® TMS for depression and PTSD. As someone fascinated by TMS and emerging mental health treatments—both as a patient and from an employee benefits perspective—this evolution in care feels especially promising. Full Article