Becker's CEO + CFO Roundtable: Regulation, Reimbursement & Revenue

Key takeaways from my Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy editorial letter on patient engagement in managed care pharmacy, co-authored with Joe Vandigo. Kimberly Lenz, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP, and Emily Tsiao, PharmD, BCPS: 🗝️ Patients’ real-world experience is vital to inform better healthcare decision-making 🗝️ New patient engagement requirements are fast approaching for plans offering essential health benefits (EHB) and for state Medicaid Advisory Committees 🗝️ A clear patient engagement framework supports meaningful contributions from patients and committee members 🗝️ Patient engagement exists on a continuum from no involvement to continuous engagement 🗝️ Managed care pharmacy professionals can make a difference! See comments for link to the full article

McGuireWoods LLP guided an affiliate of Essen Health Care on the acquisition of key technology and assets of Vesta Healthcare, a provider of caregiver-connected virtual care and care coordination services.   Essen is an integrated, multispecialty healthcare delivery organization providing accessible care to underserved residents across New York. The transfer of Vesta’s proprietary technology, clinical infrastructure and associated assets to Essen affiliate Intention Healthcare is intended to deliver a connected, technology-enabled model that improves outcomes, reduces hospitalizations and strengthens support for caregivers. The deal will align caregivers, clinicians and patients across diverse populations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas and other states.   The McGuireWoods team included partners Stephen Older, Robin Vance and Mindy Sauter; counsel Felix Saratovsky; and associates Allyson M. Maur and Spencer Park.   “We were pleased to assist Essen in this strategic transaction, which advances the company’s goal of helping more patients achieve better outcomes,” said Older, co-leader of McGuireWoods’ Capital Markets Practice Group. #healthcare #lifesciences   https://lnkd.in/gS85a66j

At Ascension, our Mission calls us to serve all persons, with special attention to those most vulnerable. That Mission was front and center this week at the Becker's Healthcare Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit, where I joined peers Dovena Lazaridis for a panel on “Shaping Tomorrow’s Pharmacy: Trends and Transformations for 2030.” I’m grateful for the opportunity to share how AscensionRx is living that mission through pharmacy innovation—ensuring patients have the right medication, at the right price, at the right time in their care journey. Key points I highlighted: • Prevention first. CMMI’s 2025 pillars. Promote evidence-based prevention, empower people to achieve their health goals, and drive choice and competition—while ensuring cost savings through smarter care models. Pharmacists are well positioned to become wellness navigators, helping patients prevent and manage chronic disease. • Technology + interoperability. The future of care will be tech-enabled, consumer-first, and frictionless—reducing administrative burden and empowering patients. • Meeting patients where they are. Through our community pharmacies, home delivery, and Dispensary of Hope, we’re closing gaps in access and affordability. As we look to 2030 and beyond, pharmacy’s role will be more than dispensing medication—it will be about dispensing hope, prevention, and accessibility. #PharmacyLeadership #HealthcareInnovation #PopulationHealth #MissionDrivenCare #BeckersHealthcare #Ascension

Our patients’ voices are priceless in shaping the future of pharmacy care.     Today, we’re proud to launch the Walgreens Pharmacy Patient Advisory Board, chaired by Rina Shah, enterprise specialty pharmacy.    The board will unite patients, caregivers and advocacy organizations, fostering invaluable collaboration, open dialogue and trust to reinforce our commitment and continuously improve how we provide care and support.     Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gDm_pZZt   #Pharmacy #Patient #Collaboration 

At Walgreens, we’re modernizing the pharmacy experience with care that starts by listening.   The new Walgreens Pharmacy Patient Advisory Board led by Rina Shah and supported by incredible partners from AARP and Blood Cancer United represents another way we’re connecting directly with patients and caregivers.   These insights will help us accelerate our transformation: strengthening pharmacy care that’s more personal, informed and trusted. https://lnkd.in/e8tdr9pe

Did you know that the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights grants patients the essential right to be partners in their own care? One of the critical components to creating partnerships with patients is increasing the engagement they have with their own care journeys. Our latest blog post explores the various stages of patient engagement and some practical insights on how you can get started with increasing the engagement you have with your patients. Read more: https://bit.ly/46c2wsS #patientinsights #patientengagement #partneringwithpatients #patientexperience #px

Yesterday at HLTH Inc. #HLTHUSA, our President Dickon Waterfield shared the stage with Darcy Sementi, Carrum Health and BD to discuss the state of specialty care and how benefits plans can be transformed to drive more value for employers and funds, as well as employees and members. One of the main topics of conversation was healthcare costs. We all know that they are increasing at unsustainable rates, and the most significant driver of this, accounting for nearly 50% of total healthcare spend, is specialty care – surgeries, cancer care, and infusions. How can a company like ours help lower those costs? On the panel, Dickon explained how our Network of Excellence connects members with high-quality care at rates 55%+ lower than carriers. This saves employers and funds money upfront and allows them to waive the cost share, which in turn lowers the costs for employees and members. Lower costs for employers, funds, employees and members. And higher quality of care and improved outcomes for employees and members. 

Silos cost time, money, and trust. Caroline McLeod, RDH, BSDH, MS of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health explains how aligned incentives and simple data sharing can reduce friction for providers and make life easier for patients in our new episode of Kinda Different. I'm excited to be working with dental payers who not only design for collaboration, but reimburse it.

CareQuest Institute's Caroline McLeod, RDH, BSDH, MS, sat down with Matthew Allen, DDS of DifferentKind to talk about the importance of medical-dental integration: https://lnkd.in/dcJwPeib