WPP’s brand consulting, health and wellness, and specialist communications group was its best-performing segment in the fourth quarter of 2017 with revenue up 2% on a like-for-like basis. WPP’s healthcare specialist agencies include ghg, Kantar Health, and Wunderman Health. (MM&M) The holding company fared much more poorly as a whole, posting its worst earnings report in years that sent its market capitalization falling by $2.6 billion. (CNBC)

Novartis is teaming up with Pear Therapeutics to create mobile apps for people with schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis. Pear recently received FDA approval for an app helping patients with substance abuse disorder. (Endpoints News)

More than 3 million Americans could enroll in association health plans by 2022, according to research from Avalere Health. The report also predicted premiums would rise in both the Affordable Care Act’s individual and small group markets. (MedPage Today)

Drugmakers are hurrying to scoop up patient health records and partner with technology companies to better determine how medicines work in the real world. There were a record 300 clinical studies including real-world or real-life data last year. (Reuters)

One of the beneficiaries of last month’s federal budget deal is the physical therapy industry. Deep within the law is language that eliminates caps on how much Medicare can pay for therapy services. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the repeal is worth $6 billion over the next decade. (Washington Post)