Payer, Specialty Pharmacy Collaboration Helps Achieve Goals

Acro Pharmaceutical Services, a Premier Inc. company, hosted their 11^th Annual Symposium at the Philadelphia Marriott on Payer/Managed Care Strategies for Specialty Medications from December 13 to 14, 2017. The meeting gathered key specialty pharmacy and health care stakeholders to provide insight on how to build stronger partnerships with payers by better understanding key specialty pharmacy issues and dynamics for payers to consider when deriving their specialty drug management strategies and how specialty pharmacy can help payers achieve their goals.

To commemorate the 11^th Annual Symposium, Acro enlisted the help of several renowned speakers to connect with those in attendance. Peter Wade, MD, provided his personal and professional experience with multiple sclerosis with a presentation entitled, “Evolution of Treatment Options, Personal and Professional Perspectives.” As a neurologist, at the Mandell Comprehensive MS Center at Mt. Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as a being a multiple sclerosis patient himself, Dr Wade’s experiences and presentation was deeply insightful.

During the symposium, Blair Childs, senior vice president, Public Affairs, Premier Inc., spoke to the crowd about the first year of the Trump Administration and what it means for the future of health care. Childs works closely with Congress, White House officials, and other policymakers involved in health policy and was able to provide an overview of the current market, political and health care policy realities, as well as the potential impact of changes to Obamacare as we look into 2018 regulatory and legislative updates.

Susan Marx Mashni, PharmD, chief pharmacy officer, Mercy Health in Ohio, truly impressed the audience with her real-world experiences of navigating the process of incorporating specialty pharmacy into the multiple institutions under Mercy Health’s umbrella. As a Premier Member Hospital, it was particularly interesting to hear how an integrated solution operated and how the resulting outcomes demonstrated their success. She provided insight into both the pros and cons and discussed how to avoid potential pitfalls.

To conclude the program, Philip Gerbino, PharmD, former President of Emeritus of the University of the Sciences, moderated a highly anticipated panel discussion. The multidisciplinary panel included key opinion leaders from several industries including specialty pharmacy, academia, payer, and the pharmaceutical industry. The panel opened a dialog with the audience where they were presented with questions and provided responses on hot topics such as biosimilars, high drug prices, breaking away from the traditional PBM model, and data’s role in the delivery of quality care.

For inquiries regarding Acro’s annual symposium, please email marketing@acrophramacy.com.