Shape Access & Affordability Trends at Asembia AXS26 With Leaders

Chrissy Hand Talks Patient Access Challenges and the Future of Healthcare

Chrissy Hand, the Chief Product and Commercial Officer at CoverMyMeds, outlines the future of patient access, influenced by policy changes, intricate benefit designs, and challenges in affordability. She underscores the need for patient support services to be well-connected, faster, and more in-line with the actual needs of patients and healthcare providers. She will be sharing her insights at the CoverMyMeds’ April 23 AXS26 Innovation Roundtable.

Key Themes in Access and Affordability: A View From the Top

In anticipation of Asembia’s AXS26 Summit, industry leaders are preparing for a deep dive into the shifts in access and affordability amidst policy uncertainties, specialty growth, GLP‑1 demand, and the transition towards practical AI. These leaders will explore burgeoning challenges and devise strategies to ensure continued patient progress.

The annual Asembia’s AXS conference provides a platform for specialty pharmacy and biopharma communities to deliberate on the future of access and affordability. This year’s focus is on the rapidly changing landscape of patient support programs, driven by evolving coverage rules, expanding therapy pipelines, and intensifying pricing and cost expectations under the IRA.

Access models are experiencing a high degree of strain to deliver quicker, clearer answers to care teams and patients. The increasing disconnect between current access operations and future needs is driving the industry towards an Innovation Roundtable on April 23. The key players, including Miranda Delatore, Fauzea Hussain, Megan Wetzel from CoverMyMeds and McKesson and Ashwin Singhania from EY‑Parthenon, aim to understand these changes and devise strategies for industry evolution.

Key Issues and Challenges

Policy Uncertainty: Regulatory changes such as evolving prior authorization requirements, contentious pricing discussions, and the impact of policies like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Most-Favored Nation (MFN) pose challenges to patient access and affordability. Healthcare leaders must develop flexible infrastructures that can adapt to policy changes without hampering patient services.

Specialty and Oncology Expansion: Although specialty and oncology pipelines are expanding, access remains a hurdle. The complexity of provider pathways, variable benefit designs, and inconsistent coordination among stakeholders necessitate streamlined access operations and improved visibility.

Practical AI: AI holds potential to revolutionize healthcare. The emphasis is now on integrating AI into everyday access workflows, improving information routing, decision support, and maintaining human oversight, while ensuring transparency, consistency, and speed.

GLP‑1 Therapies: Complex coverage rules and high demand for GLP‑1 therapies test the resilience of access and affordability models. Organizations are now evaluating their strategy scalability and the role of affordability support at various entry points.

Affordability Challenges: Despite improved access pathways, out‑of‑pocket costs determine patient adherence to therapies. Strategies to identify and manage affordability gaps are evolving, with an increased focus on early intervention, clearer eligibility signals, and the integration of affordability logic into the process.

Join the April 23 Innovation Roundtable to participate in these critical discussions and help shape the future of patient access and affordability.

This is a sponsored guest post. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of HMP Omnimedia, LLC, Drug Channels Institute, or its parent company. To learn how you can publish a guest post on Drug Channels, please contact Paula Fein.