Hello Reader,
Welcome to our summer newsletter! In this season of camaraderie and ice cream trucks, Sightlines is diving into an overview of collaboration among stakeholders in the drug discount ecosystem — and what it means for everybody in the space.
Recent years have seen a rise in tensions between the stakeholders who participate in government discount programs. But what gets overshadowed by splashy headlines and legal fights are the encouraging moments of trust and progress where stakeholders prove that, with the right tools, they can work it out.
Welcome to our summer newsletter! In this season of camaraderie and ice cream trucks, Sightlines is diving into an overview of collaboration among stakeholders in the drug discount ecosystem — and what it means for everybody in the space.
Recent years have seen a rise in tensions between the stakeholders who participate in government discount programs. But what gets overshadowed by splashy headlines and legal fights are the encouraging moments of trust and progress where stakeholders prove that, with the right tools, they can work it out.
Issue No. 2 | July 2023
☀️🫶
All together now!
All together now!
📕
Mission Critical: Come together
On June 13, we released our third annual report, which introduces Kalderos’ vision for a new paradigm of cooperation among drug discount program stakeholders — a model that would benefit everyone involved, particularly patients.
But numerous obstacles stand in the way. Kalderos’ 2023 report investigates the biggest hurdles.
But numerous obstacles stand in the way. Kalderos’ 2023 report investigates the biggest hurdles.
- Inadequate infrastructure, outdated technology and data silos
Misapplied discounts are almost always caught after the fact, and tracing the stages of each claim from the moment of dispense requires valuable time and effort. - Fractured trust and mounting conflict among stakeholders
The proliferation of contract pharmacies has expanded patient access to 340B-discounted drugs but adds complexity that can lead to more discount errors. - Unclear regulatory authority and ambiguous guidelines
Drug discount stakeholders need more explicit guidelines on how to administer these complex programs, but it’s not clear who has the authority to issue and enforce those guidelines. - Entrenched investments support the status quo
Over the years, billion-dollar retail pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers have become heavily invested in the 340B program’s returns.
In our 2023 annual report, Kalderos lays out an audacious game plan for tackling each one of these obstacles … with collaborative, tech-enabled solutions that engage all stakeholders in the mission. The result? A world where drug discount programs function as seamlessly as intended.
Learn more in Kalderos’ 2023 annual report, available for download now. Then join us for a live webinar event on July 18, where we’ll keep the conversation going.
Learn more in Kalderos’ 2023 annual report, available for download now. Then join us for a live webinar event on July 18, where we’ll keep the conversation going.
🤝
With a little help from PBMs?
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), those lesser-known major players in American healthcare, were the focus of a webinar hosted by STAT and sponsored by Kalderos. The virtual event, held on June 21, examined the evolution of the drug pricing intermediaries and what PBM changes could mean for patients.
“The Next Frontier of Drug Pricing Reform” video chat featured separate interviews with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Alex Oshmyansky, CEO and Founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. The event began with introductory remarks from Kalderos CEO Brent Dover.
Collaboration to ease patient price burdens was one of the many topics touched on in this far-ranging event. Here are some highlights:
“The Next Frontier of Drug Pricing Reform” video chat featured separate interviews with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Alex Oshmyansky, CEO and Founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. The event began with introductory remarks from Kalderos CEO Brent Dover.
Collaboration to ease patient price burdens was one of the many topics touched on in this far-ranging event. Here are some highlights:
- In his opening remarks for the discussion, Dover noted, “Collaboration is not always easy, but in my experience it is the most effective way to create real change. Fortunately, new technology and fresh thinking have created an environment that welcomes more to the collaborative process.”
- In an interview with STAT Washington correspondent Rachel Cohrs, Sen. Grassley expressed a desire to see greater transparency from PBMs and noted that legislation or regulations could drive that goal, saying, “I’m not a person who likes a lot of government interference in the free marketplace, but we have a responsibility to be a fair referee to make sure that the marketplace is working.”
- Senior STAT writer Ed Silverman engaged in a detailed discussion with Dr. Oshmyansky that explored the complicated drug pricing challenges the company was created to solve. Dr. Oshmyansky noted a great desire to upset the status quo, especially from manufacturers focused on reducing their gross-to-net gap.
Dr. Oshmyansky also brought the focus back to patients, describing the company’s weekly all-hands meeting where leaders shared notes from patients who were able to afford treatments by using the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. “These are not abstractions,” said Dr. Oshmyansky. “These are very specific ills of society that we can have a very profound impact on.”
The virtual event provided attendees with a wide range of perspectives on what the future holds for PBMs and how this evolution could affect patients.
✨
Across the Kalderos universe
At Kalderos, we take every opportunity to mention our incredible collection of industry experts. But reader, you may wonder: Who are these people? Do they have names? Do they like ice cream?
To answer, we say: They are key subject matter experts across the Kalderos centers of excellence, they have names, and yes — they like ice cream.
Here is a roundup of how to hear from some of our experts:
To answer, we say: They are key subject matter experts across the Kalderos centers of excellence, they have names, and yes — they like ice cream.
Here is a roundup of how to hear from some of our experts:
Live webinar: Taking on “Mission Critical” with Natalie Heck and Sam Ferber
On July 18 at 11:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. CT, Natalie Heck, Kalderos Associate Director, Customer Success Commercial, and Sam Ferber, Kalderos Associate Director, Customer Success Covered Entity, will host a live webinar event to discuss how tech-enabled collaboration empowers manufacturers to identify and resolve duplicate discounts and improve financial forecasting.
Sign up for the webinar here.
🍦 Natalie’s favorite flavor is strawberry, and Sam’s is chocolate-chip cookie dough.
On July 18 at 11:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. CT, Natalie Heck, Kalderos Associate Director, Customer Success Commercial, and Sam Ferber, Kalderos Associate Director, Customer Success Covered Entity, will host a live webinar event to discuss how tech-enabled collaboration empowers manufacturers to identify and resolve duplicate discounts and improve financial forecasting.
Sign up for the webinar here.
🍦 Natalie’s favorite flavor is strawberry, and Sam’s is chocolate-chip cookie dough.
Drug Channels blog: The Drug Discount Ecosystem’s “Mission Critical” with Vishali Amin
How burdensome will drug pricing’s “duplicate discount” challenge get? Vishali Amin, Kalderos Chief of Staff to the Office of the President and Senior Director of Customer Success, offers insight into this question in her post on the Drug Channels blog. If you haven’t caught it already, you can read it here.
🍦 Vishali’s favorite flavors are coffee and mint chocolate chip.
How burdensome will drug pricing’s “duplicate discount” challenge get? Vishali Amin, Kalderos Chief of Staff to the Office of the President and Senior Director of Customer Success, offers insight into this question in her post on the Drug Channels blog. If you haven’t caught it already, you can read it here.
🍦 Vishali’s favorite flavors are coffee and mint chocolate chip.
Empowered Patient Podcast: Making Sense of Government Drug Discount Programs for Underserved Patients Subsidized by Drug Manufacturers with Jared Crapo
For a straightforward conversation about the complexities and confusion over government discount plans, pop in your AirPods and listen to Kalderos Head of Product, Engineering, Design and Data Management Jared Crapo as he joins Karen Jagoda on the Empowered Patient Podcast. Listen here.
🍦 Jared has too many favorite flavors to choose just one … but top contenders include mint chocolate spray, pralines and cream, and homemade strawberry (his great-grandfather’s recipe!).
For a straightforward conversation about the complexities and confusion over government discount plans, pop in your AirPods and listen to Kalderos Head of Product, Engineering, Design and Data Management Jared Crapo as he joins Karen Jagoda on the Empowered Patient Podcast. Listen here.
🍦 Jared has too many favorite flavors to choose just one … but top contenders include mint chocolate spray, pralines and cream, and homemade strawberry (his great-grandfather’s recipe!).
We hope you enjoyed soaking up the sun and collaborative insights from this summer edition of the Kalderos Sightlines quarterly newsletter! Check out the Kalderos blog and our resource library for enough content to hold you over until the next Sightlines arrives in your inbox. 😎
© 2023 Kalderos, 625 W Adams 20th Floor
Chicago, Il 60661, United States
Chicago, Il 60661, United States
Social
