Cost Management

Global – – October 15, 2026 -- Only 17% of health and life sciences leaders report a centralized approach to internal data governance, according to 2026 Voice of Our Clients (VOC) research, even as organizations move generative AI from pilots into production.

Data governance gaps widen across partner ecosystems

The VOC research found that 54% of the health and life sciences business and IT leaders interviewed have a holistic data strategy across their internal enterprise. Across external ecosystems of partners and suppliers, the share with a holistic strategy falls to 32%, and the share with centralized data governance falls to 14%.

Enterprise AI depends on trusted data and governance that extends beyond individual experiments, so these gaps limit how far AI programs can scale.

New York – – October 15, 2026 -- Expert Consumers has named Sharps Assure a top choice for veterinary clinics, citing flat-rate mail-back kits, container sizes from 1 quart to 28 gallons, and no required long-term contracts. The review is published on an affiliate site that may earn commissions from sales made through its links.

Flat-rate kits replace recurring pickup fees

Each Sharps Assure kit price covers the container, return packaging, authorized shipping, treatment and final disposal. The review contrasts this with scheduled pickup services, which can charge for visits whether or not a container is full. Clinics order another kit only when they need more capacity, which ties spending to actual waste volume.

The review says this suits independent offices, mobile veterinarians, specialty clinics and shelters with low or changing volumes. It also names newly opened practices that cannot yet predict monthly sharps output.

Birmingham, Ala. – October 12, 2026 -- Eighty-seven percent of employers say they are likely to switch their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) at contract renewal, according to a new RxBenefits report that describes the most unsettled pharmacy benefits market in years.

The report, "2026 State of Pharmacy Benefits Decisions: The Churn Trap," draws on survey data fielded by FTI Consulting on behalf of RxBenefits. It covers 601 employers and 300 employee benefits consultants and advisors, all with decision-making authority over pharmacy benefits.

Three in four employers have changed or plan to change advisors within 12 months

Three out of four employers have replaced their pharmacy benefits advisor in the past 12 months or plan to do so in the next 12 months. RxBenefits says the advisor relationships and vendor arrangements that once anchored pharmacy decisions are losing their hold.