Preview of AMCP Annual Meeting 2017

Meeting Preview:  AMCP 2017

The AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting 2017 (March 27–30 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado) will connect thousands of managed care professionals from all across the United States. Attendees will gain fresh insight into the latest innovations and important clinical, government, and business issues facing the industry. Educational sessions will provide attendees the latest perspectives on managed care pharmacy, best practices, and how recent regulatory and legislative activities will impact their profession. Managed care professionals will also find powerful tools to assist with a multitude of issues, ranging from improving clinical outcomes to reducing heath care costs.

In order to help conference attendees navigate the most valuable sessions at the annual AMCP meeting, First Report Managed Care has compiled a brief overview of the meeting and the educational sessions that cannot be missed. 

This preview breaks down the educational tracks, breaks down some of the most exciting sessions, and highlights the general session speaker. Please refer to the final program and meeting website (www.amcpmeetings.org) for a complete list of all sessions, speakers and locations, and other events.

Education Tracks

The AMCP educational tracks allow professionals, ranging from medical directors to nurses, to customize their meeting experience. Attendees can easily use the color-coded sessions to navigate the meeting tracks—in order to get the most pertinent information out of their conference experience. Each track contains five to seven unique sessions—that do not conflict in time with other related events, symposiums, and the main exhibition.

The education sessions are categorized in six targeted program tracks:

•Business Trends in Managed Care

This track will help professionals stay up to date on the most pressing topics from the financial sector impacting managed care. An ideal track for business-focused professionals.

•Current Affairs in Specialty Pharmacy
Management

This track is for those looking to understand how breakthroughs in specific disease states can improve treatments and reduce costs.

•Research and its Practical Application

How managed care research is being used in daily and long-term decision-making. These sessions boil down the most important and noteworthy new findings in health economics and outcomes research, patient-reported outcomes, and other topics.

• Spotlight on Formulary Management

A showcase of the best practices and problems tackled and solved in formulary management. These sessions will give insight into decision-making tactics for issues such as value frameworks and medical marijuana. 

•Staying on Course With Legislative and
Regulatory Issues

With the medical legislative landscape in a transition period, these sessions will help attendees understand how modern reform efforts may affect them. 

•The Landscape of Contemporary Managed Care Pharmacy

This educational track will tackle the unique issues affecting managed care professionals every day. Topics in this track will explore the wide range of challenges and controversies within the scope of managed care pharmacy.

HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS

Tuesday, March 28, 2017 

•8:15 AM-9:30 AM

Specialty Pharmaceuticals in Development 

Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, senior clinical consultant of emerging therapeutics at Express Scripts, will breakdown the forthcoming likely FDA approvals of specialty medications.  The trend over the last several years has shown that US FDA approvals of specialty drugs have far outpaced those of traditional drugs. One question on stakeholders’ minds is “How will these specialty medications affect the dynamic health care landscape and managed care pharmacy?” During the session, faculty will focus on the pipeline of new and emerging therapies in this drug class and look at their role in therapy. Faculty will also discuss the potential impact of these agents on managed care markets. 

•9:50 AM-11:05 AM

Coverage Decisions for Specialty Medications: Different Data, Different Determinations 

James D Chambers, PhD, MPharm, MSc, of Tufts Medical Center; Jennifer S Graff, PharmD, of the National Pharmaceutical Council; and Edmund J Pezalla, MD, MPH, CEO of EJ Pezalla Independent Consultant, will discuss the types of evidence used by payers to make specialty drug coverage decisions. 

•12:45 PM-2:00 PM

Traditional Brand and Generic Drugs in Development

Doris J Kao, PharmD, supervisor of drug information services, and Anne Pugh, PharmD, coordinator of national Medicare formulary, both of Kaiser Permanente, will outline the new and emerging brand name and generic drugs. Attendees will gain an understanding of the most promising medications moving toward approval, their expected approval dates, and how they will impact the pharmacy landscape.  

•2:30 PM-3:45 PM

Tackling the Opioid Epidemic and Addiction Treatment: A Managed Care Approach

A significant proportion of opioid overdose deaths are the result of high prescribing practices by providers. This session will help payers understand the latest efforts being made to monitor and curb opioid overutilization. The presenters will also cover the AMCP Addiction Treatment Advisory Group recommendations. 

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

•8:30 AM-9:45 AM

Approaches to Managed Care Contracting With Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

Contracting for discounted rates can be a difficult and complex procedure. Jim Kenney, RPh, MBA, manager of specialty and pharmacy contracts at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, will discuss strategies for payers to secure discounts and rebates from pharmaceutical companies.  He will also break down the components of manufacturer-payer agreements. This session will also give attendees a look at the future of manufacturer–payer agreements and contracting.

•10:15 AM-11:30 AM

AMCP Headline Session: 2016-2017 Pharmaceutical Marketplace Trends

As part of one of the most popular sessions at AMCP 2017, Douglas M Long, vice president of industry relations at QuintilesIMS, will present the latest industry data on pharmaceutical market trends, such as which segments are growing and which segments are declining. Mr Long will also outline the factors influencing health care costs, notable developments in pharmaceuticals, and the factors likely to impact managed care directly within the coming year.

•3:00 PM-4:15PM

Making the Leap from Value Measurement to Value-Based Reimbursement

Value is beginning to overtake volume as the leading mechanism of payment within the health care industry.  The presenters of this session will focus on how value can be adequately measured and assessed by providers and payers to accurately reflect care quality.  Attendees will gain an understanding of the current value frameworks and assessment approaches in order to better identify quality measurement opportunities. 

•4:30 PM-5:45PM

Marketplace Profitability: Adding Prescription Drug Data to the Risk Adjustment Model

With the release of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2018 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters, pharmaceutical professionals have been drawn into the discussion of risk adjustment. In 2018, prescribing data will begin to be used to determine which high-risk conditions are being missed by the current risk adjustment model. This session will provide
perspective on how prescribing data will impact health plans. 

Thursday, March 30, 2016

•8:00 AM-9:15 AM

The Trump Administration and Health Care: A Bipartisan Analysis

After Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the United States, many questions remain about the future of health care during his term. This session aims to cover topics such as ACA repeal, FDA user fee agreements, and increased drug prices. Presenters will include Washington insiders from both the Republican and Democratic parties. They will give their insight on the first months of the Trump administration, and perspective on what we can expect throughout the next 4 years. 

•11:15AM-12:30 PM

Keeping up With Biosimilars: The Latest on Regulation, Utilization, Monitoring, and Pipeline

As biosimilars begin to become more and more prevalent, questions continue to arise about adherence, interchangeability, and efficacy. In this session, Jennifer M Day, PharmD, of Kaiser Permanente, and C Douglas Monroe, RPh, MS, a drug information consultant, will discuss the role of biosimilars in the health care environment. Attendees will gain perspective on the FDA approval process, the regulatory landscape, and barriers to biosimilar use. 

Satellite Symposia 

In addition to educational sessions, satellite symposia will also be available. These noncommercial industry-supported satellite symposia will discuss a variety of issues impacting the industry revolving around treatment of type 2 diabetes, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, non-small-cell lung cancer, multiple myeloma, and atopic dermatitis. The satellite symposia will also cover the challenges of treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Featured Speaker:  Derreck Kayongo

Founder of the Global Soap Project, CEO of the Center for Civil and Human Rights

On Tuesday March 28, 2017, Derreck Kayongo, founder of the Global Soap Project, CEO of the Center for Civil and Human Rights, a business visionary, will speak during the AMCP 2017 general session. His powerful presentation skills will be on display as he discusses his perspective on global health care.

Mr Kayongo grew up in Uganda, under the notorious dictator Idi Amin, and was later forced to flee to Kenya with his family. After immigrating to the United States to attend the Fletcher school of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Mr Kayongo founded the Global Soap Project—an organization that recycles used hotel soap and redistributes it to countries around the world. Mr Kayongo then became the CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. Under his leadership, the center has expanded its visibility and impact. 

Mr Kayongo is a successful entrepreneur, a human rights activist, and a global health expert who has been recognized for his achievements by multiple institutions. In 2011, Mr Kayongo was recognized as one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes, and in 2016 he was chosen by President Jimmy Carter to interview him as part of the National Archives’ Amending America Initiative. 

At AMCP 2017, Mr Kayongo will treat attendees to his dynamic vision of the world—which, as Matt Kempner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, inspires those present “to see the bigger picture. Convincing them that even the little guy can do something big.”