Rumblings of imminent healthcare policy changes were not enough to distract attendees at this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference 2017 from their focus on several key themes at this year’s event. Below is a list of our key takeaways from what remains one of the most significant annual healthcare business conferences.
- The drive to value is accelerating
At Curant Health, we define value as outcomes divided by cost. Winning organizations improve outcomes while reducing costs at the same time. While we recognize it will take time to measure the relative efficacy of long-term, value-based programs being implemented by stakeholders across the industry, efforts to implement these types of programs are a step in the right direction.
- Find your value-based partners
If you can find partners that improve value, your cost profile, you HEDIS responsiveness, that can help reduce readmission rates or improve medication adherence, a “wait and see happens with the new administration business approach” does not apply. Find these partners and engage them.
- Start with the patient when aligning incentives
PBMs, pharmaceutical manufacturers and service providers like to talk about patient centricity. I would encourage you to ask anyone who uses that phrase what exactly it means to them. How do they define patient centricity? How long have they been “committed” to it?
- DIR has become the preverbal elephant in the room
There are those at the conference who said DIR fees could be the demise of the independent specialty pharmacy moving toward health plans and/or PBM-owned specialty pharmacies. There is sure to be a great deal of discussion between PBMs, specialty pharmacy organizations and policy makers regarding DIR fees for the foreseeable future.
To read Marc’s full article, visit Managed Healthcare Executive.
To learn more about Curant Health, contact Kristin Lindsey, Senior Marketing Director, at klindsey@curanthealth.com.