ICYMI: Top Content From AMCP Annual Meeting

At the annual meeting of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), held March 29 through April 1 in Chicago, Illinois, sessions covered a range of topics in managed care pharmacy, drugs and diseases, research, legislation and regulation, and innovation.

Here are the conference highlights.

What Dr Zahra Mahmoudjafari Wishes Payers Knew About CAR T-Cell Therapies

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies represent a huge advance in treatment, but they come with a high price tag. And they are here to stay, explained Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD, BCOP, clinical pharmacy manager of hematology, bone marrow therapy, and cellular therapeutics at the University of Kansas Health System.

She discussed what payers need to understand about these therapies to ensure patients do not experience a delay in care.

Identifying Best Practices for Successful Value-Based Contracting

The goal of value-based care contracts is to improve quality of care, manage utilization, and reduce costs through an agreement between a payer and manufacturer. These contracts have evolved over the last 10-plus years and are covering more therapeutic areas; however, this is still an emerging area with a lot of unknown and uncertainty, explained panelists.

Trends and Drug Launches Impacting the US Health Care Market in 2021-2022

Doug Long, MBA, of IQVIA, reviewed the lasting impacts of the pandemic on the US health care market and identified trends and upcoming drug launches to keep an eye on during his keynote speech.

The pandemic did cause a slow in specialty drug pend growth; however, Long expected specialty drug spend to finally grow larger than traditional drug spend in 2022.

Utilizing Data, Partnerships Can Address Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

While racial and ethnic disparities are well documented and substantial, data is necessary to help create programs to successful address these disparities, panelists explained. Payers are currently gathering data and tracking social determinants of health through a variety of means, but more information is needed to identify the specific needs of the populations they serve.

Respondents to a survey identified diabetes, maternal health, heart disease, psychiatric disorders, and hypertension as high priority areas, and they also noted they could use additional support in budgeting, personnel, technology, and data acquisition to address racial and ethnic disparities.

For more coverage from the AMCP annual meeting, visit the conference page.