Curant Health thrives by improving medication adherence - and thus the lives and outcomes - for patients suffering from chronic conditions. For more than 15 years patients under Curant’s care get better. One proof point: The number HIV patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) participating in our medication therapy management program whose viral loads are undetectable increased from 28% to 66%. These patients further exhibit cost reduction to the care system of $3,000 per patient per year.
While our patients’ lives and outcomes improve every day, what is not improving is the relationship between pharmaceutical manufacturers, PBMs and pharmacists: three groups of colleagues whose relationships should be more much collaborative than adversarial. Sadly, the latter is a more accurate reflection of these relationships over the past few years. I recently wrote about the needs and benefits of industry alignment among manufacturers, PBMs and pharmacists on the Curant Health blog and in Drug Topics.
With this need in mind, I’m eager to spend time with my colleagues at the 2015 Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit, the industry’s largest annual event for specialty pharmacy, May 4-8 in Las Vegas. Kent Rogers with Blue Fin Group and I will explore improvements in patient outcomes and industry alignment through medication therapy management in a session on Thursday, May 7 at 8:00 a.m.
What else are Curant CEO Patrick Dunham, Executive Vice President Scott Zepp and I looking forward to at #Armada15?
How’s the mood? Having now been through a full year astonishing new HepC regimens - and the associated angst among payers, patients, providers and legislators - I am eager to get a sense of the collective mood and dynamic that currently exists between specialty pharmacists, manufacturers and PBMs. Armada is one of the few places one can gain a sense of this collective industry vibe.
Networking. It is always good to see healthcare leaders that I only get to see once per year. This touchpoint that the Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit provides is one of the most valuable networking opportunities with my manufacturer and PBM colleagues I avail myself of every year.
Learning Through the Breakouts. Industry insights into how other organizations do things including new technologies that get shared are always of interest to me at the Armada Specialty Summit. The following few sessions have piqued our interest for certain.
- “Digital Health: The Time Is Here,” with Ryan Olohan, National Industry Director, Google, Tuesday, May 5, 10:00 a.m.
- “Specialty 2015: Connecting Pharmacy Innovation to Improved Health Care Outcomes,” with Surya Singh, CVS and Kevin Host, PSG Consulting, Tuesday, May 5, 2:00 pm.
- “Strategies to Encourage and Sustain Biosimilar Adoption,” with Sophie Opdyke, Pfizer, Tuesday, May 5, 10:00 a.m.
What are you looking forward to?
If you would like to meet at Armada, let us know! Reach out to Marc on Linkedin or email Kristin Lindsey, Marketing Director at klindsey@curanthealth.com.
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