Health Care Rounds

In this week’s episode, John talks EHRs and physician burnout, prescription drug prices in TV ads, and more. Highlights include: Gundersen Health System and Marshfield Clinic talk merger. Bon Secours Mercy Health signs letter of intent to acquire Dublin, Ireland-based Bon Secours Health System. UnitedHealthcare’s new bundled payment program for maternity care. U.S. District Court judge struck down the 340B rate cut. Washington becomes the second state to announce a subscription-based payment model for HCV drugs. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquar

Analysts and consultants often make predictions about where markets are headed. In this week’s episode, John goes back five years and reviews what he first wrote about accountable care organizations and the value-based care movement. What did he get right? Where was he wrong? What lessons have we learned? Highlights include: What the Affordable Care Act was designed to address. How markets reacted to events related to policy announcements. Harvard Business School’s Clay Christensen and why ACOs will fail. Prescriptive advice for partnering with ACOs. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin

In this week’s episode, John reviews Humana’s new oncology payment model, several important announcements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and more. Highlights include: CMS is offering five new payment models for primary care practices CMS is inviting state Medicaid directors to test new ways to approach dual-eligibles FDA cleared the first medical device to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Amazon rolled out its PillPack at-home prescription drug delivery service Sutter and UPMC partner with DNAnexus to develop personalized treatments for multiple sclerosis About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital

In today’s episode, John returns to his conversation with renowned cancer researcher Dr. David S. Hong. Dr. Hong is deputy chair of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also serves as associate vice president for Clinical Research and clinical medical director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy. Dr. Hong has published more than 270 papers in leading academic journals. Topics include: Go/No-go decisions in clinical trials. Interchangeability of oncology drugs and biosimilars. Rising drug prices and declining trust in pharmaceutical companies. Health care delivery in the United States. Speaker Bios Dr. David S. Hong is deputy chair of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also serves as associate vice president for Clinical Research and clinical medical director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy. Dr. Hong received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Yale University and a medical de

In this episode, John discusses Our Take on health care news in the first half of April 2019. He covers the Times/ProPublica report on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the proposed merger between Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health, and other top stories through April 15. A new report by The New York Times and ProPublica says leadership at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) “repeatedly violated policies on financial conflicts of interest,” resulting in an environment in which “profits appeared to take precedence over research and patient care.” Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health signed a memorandum of understanding with Winston Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest University and Wake Forest Baptist Health to create a “transformative academic health care system.” The organizations said they have entered into a period of exclusive negotiations to agree on terms, and intend to arrive at a final agreement later this year. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanc

In today’s episode, John has a fascinating conversation with renowned cancer researcher Dr. David S. Hong. Dr. Hong is deputy chair of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also serves as associate vice president for Clinical Research and clinical medical director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy. Dr. Hong has published more than 270 papers in leading academic journals. Topics include: The rise of immunotherapy and the Golden Age of cancer treatment. The role of clinical pathways and personalized medicine in improving patient care. Industry-researcher collaborations and investments in clinical trials. How physicians balance research with providing clinical care. Speaker Bios Dr. David S. Hong is deputy chair of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also serves as associate vice president for Clinical Research and clinical medical director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy. Dr. H

In this week’s episode, John reviews some pharma breakthroughs—along with one major setback—and discusses the bold statement by the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Highlights include: The Department of Justice issued a letter stating that it agrees with a federal judge who struck down the entire ACA as unconstitutional. The FDA approved the first drug to treat postpartum depression: Sage Therapeutics’ Zulresso (brexanolone). Amarin Corp. presented updated results for its ongoing Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) clinical trial, REDUCE-IT, at the American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting. Biogen is scrapping its investigational treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and is canceling its Phase III ENGAGE and EMERGE clinical trials. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. D

In today’s podcast, John Marchica sites down with the Director of Telehealth and of JeffConnect at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Mr. Frank Sites. Frank has decades of experience in this space and shares with us just what it took to get JeffConnect to become the robust telehealth program that it is today. Here are some of the interview highlights: Specifics about Jefferson Health’s telehealth program, JeffConnect, and the “buckets” it fills for the end users. Adoption by Jefferson providers, successes and challenges with that, as well as how reimbursement plays out. Frank’s advice to persons and organizations looking to starting and growing a successful telehealth program. Speaker Bios Frank D. Sites, MHA, BSN, RN is the Director of Telehealth & JeffConnect at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia. In this role Mr. Sites is responsible for leading all internal and external growth initiatives including all clinical, technical, support and regulatory activities impacting the e

In this episode, John reviews what happened in the world of health care this past week, specifically the results of a study published on March 11 in the JAMA Internal Medicine on Home Health and how it can provide a significant amount of savings when compared to other discharge locations. Home health care agencies save Medicare millions of dollars compared with skilled nursing facilities, despite higher readmission rates, according to the study. Researchers used Medicare claims data from 2010 through 2016 to compare the results of more than 17 million hospitalizations, where 39% were discharged to home health and 61% to skilled nursing. This massive study—17 million cases over a seven-year period—demonstrates the enormous potential value home health care can bring to Medicare and other payers. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the glo

Welcome to Season 2 of Health Care Rounds. In this episode, John Marchica speaks with Scott Hylla, Director of Health Systems and Managed Markets with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. Scott and John discuss the state of pharma-IDN partnerships, pharma attitudes toward ACOs, and the future of industry-provider relations. Key questions include: How does pharma align with integrated health systems (IDNs), and what are IDNs looking for in a partnership? Should pharma partner with ACOs, and if so, why? What are the key trends in health care delivery that drive pharma toward higher-level partnerships? Speaker Bios Scott Hylla is the Director of Health Systems for Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. He has served in various roles spanning a 28 year career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently in leading the Sunovion Health Systems team in the development and execution of collaborative strategies in the transformational IDN marketplace. Scott has a BS in Biology from St. John’s University and an MBA in Healthcare Manag

In this episode, John takes a look back on the year of 2018 and gives you his top five health care stories of the year, as well as a few honorable mentions and a few of the worst health policy ideas. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a satellite office in Princeton, N.J.

In this episode, John gives his insight on recent developments on one of this year’s trending healthcare topics, pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and pharmaceutical rebates. CVS announced that it is launching a new pharmacy benefits plan that returns 100 percent of drug rebates to its clients. In a statement, CVS said its new Guaranteed Net Cost pricing model “more closely aligns PBM incentives with plan sponsors’ objectives” by offering more predictability and transparency. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a satel

In this episode, John walks us through the recent flurry of mergers and acquisitions that are coming to a close and only recently announced at the end of 2018. The biggest news is that CVS Health completed its acquisition of Aetna last Wednesday in a deal that valued Aetna at $212 per share, or approximately $70 billion, not including debt. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a satellite office in Princeton, N.J.

In this episode, John discusses our take specifically on the news of the results from the Johns Hopkins care management program, Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership. A Johns Hopkins community intervention is associated with reductions in admissions, readmissions and emergency department visits, netting $113.3 million in savings, according to new research in JAMA Network Open. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a satellite office in Princeton, N.J.

Have a festive Thanksgiving from all of us at Health Care Rounds Podcast! We will be back next week with a new episode, the Season 1 closing, so stay tuned for our take on the first season of Health Care Rounds. In the meantime, enjoy your week!

In this episode, John discusses our take on health care news surrounding the midterm elections and how this will affect health care going forward. At the end of October, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Reuters that if given the chance—that is, if Republicans remained in control of both chambers of Congress—we could expect another attempted repeal of Obamacare. But this last week, referring to an ACA repeal, McConnell told reporters, “I think it’s pretty obvious, the Democratic House is not going to be interested in that,” adding that he was willing to work on health policy issues on a bipartisan basis. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equ

John is taking the helm this week to share his experience presenting at a conference last week, and the lessons he learned from two days of sessions. We will return to our regular format next week. The conference, exl’s 12th Partnering with ACOs and IDNs Summit, included about 100 people, mostly represented by pharma, ACOs and health systems. The first part of his presentation covered what we learned from our annual ACO Executive survey, which includes what are their most pressing problems. The second part delved into the partnering, or lack thereof, of pharma companies with ACOs. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The compan

Hoping all of our listeners had a wonderful and safe Halloween! In this episode, John discusses our take on health care news in the last week of October. He covers President Trump’s proposed change on how Medicare pays for certain drugs, based on an international pricing index of drugs. HHS Secretary Alex Azar referenced a report his agency recently completed—which compared U.S. prices for 27 drugs with prices for the same drugs in 16 other countries—tweeting that “Among these drugs, on average, the US pays 180% more than the international price.” HHS said the rule would include most of the drugs in Medicare Part B, which covers injectables and many specialty medications. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device compa

John discusses our take on health care news in the second half of October. He covers how CVS and Aetna have made a big step towards completing their merger, as well as a new proposed rule by CMS regarding transparency of pricing in drug advertisements. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has cleared the way for the $69 billion merger between CVS Health and Aetna Inc., with the stipulation that Aetna divests its Medicare Part D individual prescription drug plan business. CMS proposed a rule requiring prescription drug manufacturers to post the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of Medicare- and Medicaid-approved drugs in direct-to-consumer television advertising. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as we

In this episode, John Marchica speaks with Mr. Ramon Soto, Northwell Health’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. Mr. Soto came to what was formerly known as the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System after several years of unsuccessful deliberations on how to rebrand the system. In the interview, he touches upon how marketing is much more than “what looks good” and how to use market analytics as a driver to a more consumer-centric health system. Here are some of the interview highlights: The thought behind Northwell Health’s recent rebranding strategy How Northwell Health uses marketing analytics to understand customer needs Using storytelling to stand out in the highly competitive market of New York Speaker Bios Ramon Soto is a skilled marketing executive with deep healthcare and financial services experience. Ramon is the senior vice president, chief marketing and communications officer for Northwell Health. He is responsible for the development and execution of Northwell’s brand strategy,