The week in health tech, explained in plain English.Get the free newsletter →
September 25, 2026

Takeaways from the most recent news in the technology and policies shaping healthcare.

Hospitals

Becker's Names 101 Chief Pharmacy Officers to Know for 2026

By Healthcare Technology News ·

Becker's Hospital Review has published its 2026 roster of 101 hospital and health system chief pharmacy officers to know, recognizing the executives who make sure the right medications reach the right patients at the right time.

The list underscores how much the role has expanded. According to Becker's, these leaders oversee complex drug supply chains, manage formularies at enormous scale, and serve as frontline guardians of patient safety. That portfolio has grown heavier as hospitals contend with persistent drug shortages, rising costs for specialty and biologic therapies, and tighter margins that put pharmacy spend under closer scrutiny.

In practice, chief pharmacy officers now sit closer to the center of hospital strategy than ever, balancing clinical quality against budget pressure and operational risk. Becker's frames the honorees as people driving the future of pharmacy practice. For executives and investors, the recognition is a signal: pharmacy leadership is no longer a back-office function but a key lever in cost control, patient outcomes, and supply chain resilience.

Sources

More in Hospitals

Hospitals

UPMC Children's Critical Care Physician Killed in Stabbing

Details on the case remain limited as the investigation continues.

Why it matters: The loss of a senior pediatric critical care physician and educator affects patient care teams, trainees, and families tied to one of the nation's largest health systems.

Hospitals

Penn Medicine and IBX Team Up to Build 18+ Surgery Centers

Penn Medicine, Independence Blue Cross and Regent Surgical Solutions are forming a new company to build at least 18 ambulatory surgery centers across three states.

Why it matters: A health system and its insurer jointly building surgery centers signals how aligned incentives are accelerating the shift of procedures to lower-cost outpatient sites.

Hospitals

Surgical Safety Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Nursing Metric

At Becker's Perioperative Summit, a Stryker-sponsored session argued surgical safety failures reflect broken systems and leadership gaps, not individual nursing error.

Why it matters: Framing surgical safety as a leadership and systems issue redirects accountability toward fixes that actually reduce preventable OR errors.