Event Sponsors
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Time: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
Location:Leavitt Partners, LLC, 601 New Jersey Ave NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC
The Innovation and Value Initiative, Alliance for Aging Research, Leavitt Partners, LLC, and the National Pharmaceutical Council are hosting a public event focused on health equity, patient engagement, and related methodological and evidence issues in CMS’ implementation of the Drug Price Negotiation Program (DPNP) as mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The half-day event aims to bring together a range of perspectives, including practical on-the-ground experience and broader policy and scientific expertise, in three panel sessions. The objective is to identify critical steps that CMS, policymakers, and others could take to address equity in implementing the IRA drug price negotiations.
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REGISTERAgenda
Opening remarks by Chief Executive Officer of Innovation and Value Initiative, Jason Spangler.
This level-setting conversation will draw on speakers’ expertise and first-hand knowledge of CMS’s processes and patient engagement (DPNP and otherwise), patient-centered outcomes research, FDA’s patient-focused drug development work, approaches to patient engagement in other settings int he U.S. and abroad, and other topics to explore three key questions:
- What does equity mean in the DPNP context?
- What can we learn from other contexts?
- What would an equitable DPNP look like?
Speakers
- Moderator: Jason Spangler, MD, MPH, FACPM (Innovation and Value Initiative)
- Gary Puckrein, PhD (National Minority Quality Forum)
- Andrea Thoumi, MPP, MSc (Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy)
CMS has stated a commitment to prioritizing health equity and patient perspectives in its implementation of the IRA, but does the current DPNP process support that goal? Does the current process allow sufficient engagement opportunities for all—and especially disadvantaged—communities? What mechanisms currently exist to ensure their contributions carry weight in negotiations? This panel will examine the current DPNP process in terms of successes, concerns, and implications for health equity and patient engagement, and discuss potential steps to better advance health equity and ensure patient-centered decision-making throughout IRA implementation.
Speakers
- Moderator: Omar A Escontrías, DrPH, MPH (National Health Council)
- Michael Ward, MS (Alliance for Aging Research)
- LCDR Ashley Channels, PharmD, BCPS (U.S. FDA)
- Tammy Boyd, JD, MPH (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network)
The DPNP Process allows submission of evidence for consideration by CMS in two ways: Information submission during data collection periods and subsequent patient listening sessions. What the evidence includes, who it represents, and how it is used will decide the outcomes of the process and its implications. How can CMS navigate evidence gaps and methodological challenge? What steps can or should CMS take to account for bias or lack of representation in scientific data, real world evidence, and even its own listening sessions? And beyond “specific populations,” what other communities—individuals with rare disorders, for example—may be affected by bias in the evidence used for comparative effectiveness analyses? This panel will discuss these challenges, steps CMS might take to support inclusion of patient-identified outcomes, and opportunities for CMS to engage with researchers, patient groups, and other organizations to address these issues.
Speakers
- Moderator: Rick Chapman, PhD (Innovation and Value Initiative)
- Jon Campbell, PhD, MS (National Pharmaceutical Council)
- Anika Rahman (AiArthritis)
Preceding panel discussions focus on specific aspects of the DPNP process, and this panel will explore how these specific concerns and suggested solutions fit into the broader context of drug price negotiation and IRA implementation. What changes in CMS process or methodology would address concerns raised in earlier discussions—and would they have other unintended consequences? As the DPNP proceeds, how should CMS and others evaluate whether it is patient-centered and equitable? What downstream changes in innovation, research, drug development, or elsewhere are necessary, and how should CMS navigate through issues outside the agency’s influence? This panel will take up these questions and discuss concrete steps CMS, policymakers, and others can take.
Speakers
- Moderator: Andrea Maresca, MPH (Health Management Associates)
- Josh Trent, MS (Leavitt Partners)
- Geni Tunsdall, JD (Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy)
- Bryan O. Buckley, DrPH, MPH, MBA (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
Closing remarks by the Innovation and Value Initiative’s Director of Policy, Mark Linthicum, MPP.
Speakers
Tammy Boyd
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Tammy Boyd, JD, MPH
Tammy Boyd, JD, MPH, is Vice President, Federal Advocacy and Strategic Alliances and a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). She provides strategic leadership for engagement on Capitol Hill and with the Executive Branch. She is responsible for the development, execution, and advancement of ACS CAN’s mission impact at the federal government level, developing strong relationships with patient and provider organizations. She leads the ACS CAN federal relations team, the Judicial Advocacy Initiative and is responsible for impacting federal public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone.
Previously, Tammy served as Chief Policy Officer and Senior Counsel for the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of Black women and girls. There, she was responsible for implementing BWHI’s national advocacy program and led federal government affairs, representing the organization before Congress, the White House, and federal departments.
Along with past government affairs roles, including Johnson & Johnson, Tammy held positions on Capitol Hill. She served as Legislative Director for the late Congressman John Lewis, handling Ways and Means Committee issues with a strong healthcare focus, and as Legislative Assistant for Congressman Bennie Thompson, managing healthcare and economic development issues. Tammy was an instrumental leader in the legislative efforts to establish the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Tammy is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the American, National, and Mississippi Bar Associations. Born and raised in Mississippi, she attended Tuskegee University before earning a Master’s in Health Policy and Management from Emory University and a J.D. from Washington College of Law at American University.
Bryan Buckley
National Committee for Quality Assurance
Bryan Buckley, DrPH, MPH, MBA
Bryan O. Buckley, DrPH, MPH, MBA, is a health equity-focused and systems-oriented leader in health delivery system redesign, performance improvement, and change management. Currently, Dr. Buckley is the Director for Health Equity Initiatives at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), where he supports NCQA’s Health Equity strategy across multiple departments to better integrate health equity concepts into existing programs and projects. Before NCQA, Dr. Buckley was a Research Fellow with Medstar Health’s Institute for Quality and Safety (MIQS), where he led and supported healthcare delivery research, education, and consulting related to community health, patient safety, and quality. Dr. Buckley serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he teaches, coaches, supports, and supervises graduate students at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Graduate Education.
Dr. Buckley holds a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, focused on management, strategy, leadership, and organizational change. In addition to his DrPH, he holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Quantic School of Business and Technology; Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Microbiology from Michigan State University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Infectious Diseases and Administration from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. As a member of the American Public Health Association, he serves as an Executive Board Member & Development Committee Chair. Locally he serves as a Board Member of the American Heart Association (AHA) Greater Washington Region and Food & Friends.
Jon Campbell
National Pharmaceutical Council
Jon Cambell, MD, PhD
Jon Campbell, MS, PhD, is the Chief Science Officer (CSO) of the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), which sponsors and conducts research on health policy issues related to the development and use of innovative biopharmaceuticals to improve the health of patients. NPC’s research contributes to the body of evidence that supports discussions and decisions about patient access to treatments, appropriate use, and the value innovative treatments provide to both patients and the health care system.
As CSO, Dr. Campbell leads NPC’s research agenda in concert with NPC’s board and research team. As a researcher and advocate for improving the U.S. healthcare system through sustainable access and biopharmaceutical innovation, Dr. Campbell is dedicated to conducting research that helps decision-makers understand the tradeoffs and consequences of health policies that impact patient access to treatments and the ecosystem of biopharmaceutical innovation.
Dr. Campbell shaped his career within academics. After training at the University of Washington, he joined the faculty at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, earning multiple appointments in Pharmacy and Public Health from 2009 to 2020. During his academic career, Dr. Campbell gained insights on the work of biopharmaceutical manufacturers through a summer internship at Novartis in Basel, Switzerland (2004) and expanded his research and training network through a sabbatical in Budapest, Hungary with Syreon Research Institute (2018).
Prior to joining NPC, Dr. Campbell served as Senior Vice President for Health Economics at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), where he made contributions to ICER assessments and their value assessment methodology. Dr. Campbell is an author of over 250 manuscripts and abstracts in the field of health policy research and value assessment and holds an adjunct faculty appointment within the Center for Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Campbell is passionate about mentoring others and enjoys supporting individuals working to deepen their expertise in the health economics and outcomes research field. Dr. Campbell’s training includes graduate degrees in pharmaceutical outcomes research (PhD) and biostatistics (MS) from the University of Washington. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Bachelor of Arts degrees in mathematics and chemistry from St. Olaf College.
Ashley Channels
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
LCDR Ashley Channels, PharmD, BCPS
LCDR Ashley Channels is a program coordinator in FDA’s Patient Affairs Staff, Office of Clinical Policy and Programs, Office of the Commissioner where she helps organize cross-center patient listening sessions to help amplify the patient voice throughout the agency.
One of LCDR Channels’s professional goals is to bring a more representative and equitable patient perspective into FDA’s work through accessible patient communication and engagement. LCDR Channels is a member of FDA’s Language Access Steering Committee and works with many underserved patient communities regularly in her work.
Prior to working at FDA, LCDR Channels worked in direct patient care for over 11 years with 6 years serving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner with a focus on chronic disease management and public health initiatives.
LCDR Channels completed her undergraduate work at Texas A&M University followed by Midwestern State University. She completed her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at Howard University followed by a PGY-1 Residency at Cherokee Indian Hospital.
Rick Chapman
Innovation and Value Initiative
Rick Chapman, PhD
Rick Chapman brings decades of health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) expertise to his role as Chief Science Officer. Chapman was Director of Health Economics at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review prior to IVI, where he led development of economic evaluations that accompanied rigorous reviews of clinical evidence. Formerly, he was VP of HEOR at Avalere Health. Before that, Chapman was a principal in HEOR at IMS Health, and a research analyst at the Center for Risk Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Chapman holds a PhD in health policy with a concentration in decision sciences from Harvard University. He also holds an MS in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Omar Escontrías
National Health Council
Omar A. Escontrías, DrPH, MPH
Dr. Omar A. Escontrías’ expertise is centered in the areas of community and patient engagement, coalition building, health policy, and evidence-based research. Over the span of his career, Dr. Escontrías has worked with local and state governments, as well as non-profit organizations in the areas of public policy, and disease prevention and health promotion to improve the health and lives of patients and communities. By the time Dr. Escontrías joined the National Health Council (NHC) in April 2022 as its Senior Vice President of Equity, Research and Programs, he had already spent 15 years building a career fighting systemic health care inequalities in historically underrepresented communities. Escontrías is a proud first-generation immigrant, boasting his bilingual and bicultural background as one of his greatest strengths. Backed up by his wealth of bicultural experiences, from his earliest days as a child in México, to his years organizing community outreach projects, Dr. Escontrías is thrilled to be contributing to the NHC’s patient-centered advocacy and policy engagement efforts. Dr. Escontrías earned a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology, a Master of Public Health in epidemiology, and a Doctor of Public Health in health policy and management, all from the University of Arizona.
Mark Linthicum
Innovation and Value Initiative
Mark Linthicum, MPP
Mark Linthicum, Director of Policy, brings scientific training and expertise in communications and strategic planning to his role. With over 12 years of health policy and public health experience, he’s conducted policy-facing research in diverse therapeutic areas including oncology, hepatology, infectious disease, and nutrition. Linthicum has been published in leading economics, medicine, and health policy journals including JAMA Oncology, Health Affairs, Chest, and Health Services Research.
Linthicum earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California.
Andrea Maresca
Health Management Associates
Andrea Maresca, MPH
With nearly two decades of experience in healthcare, Andrea Maresca is a skilled legislative and regulatory analyst and strategy developer. She has a strong track record of leading efforts to inform and shape federal Medicaid and related healthcare policies and programs. She joins HMA after serving in private and public organizations including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD).
Prior to joining HMA, she led healthcare regulatory and policy efforts as a senior vice president with a government affairs firm. While there, she assisted clients with analysis and strategy impacting publicly funded programs as well as a variety of needs and urgent demands presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. A skilled analyst, she dissected rules and guidance from federal executive branch entities.
Andrea also previously served at CMS advising agency directors on Medicaid and CHIP services, reviewing and analyzing policy documents for top leadership, and representing the department to agency leadership and executive staff.
As the director of federal policy and strategy for NAMD, she collaborated with the board to execute the organization’s federal legislative and regulatory policy agenda. She also advised state Medicaid directors, liaised with federal policymakers, and maintained strategic relationships with congressional staff and stakeholder organizations.
In addition, Andrea advocated for the nation’s governors on health policy issues as legislative director and senior legislative associate with the National Governors’ Association. Throughout her career she has also worked with other associations and non-profit organizations as well as in direct support of legislatures and is member of several boards and associations.
Andrea earned a Master of Public Health from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services as well as bachelor’s degree in sociology from Villanova University.
Gary Puckrein
National Minority Quality Forum
Gary Puckrein, PhD
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF)—formerly the National Minority Health Month Foundation—a not-for-profit organization that he founded in 1998. NMQF addresses the critical need for strengthening preventable illness in minority populations through prevention, early detection, and control of disease complications. In April 2001, the National Minority Health Month Foundation launched National Minority Health Month in response to Healthy People 2010, the national health-promotion and disease-prevention initiative.
NMQF has received support from a wide variety of organizations, including federal agencies, pharmaceutical companies, payers, and trade associations. With support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NMQF undertook the Zip Code Analysis Project, developing a comprehensive database that links vital statistics and other elements—including demographic, environmental, claims, prescription, laboratory, hospital, and clinic data—in a centralized data warehouse, organized around zip codes. The Zip Code Analysis Project has enabled NMQF to develop the Health Assessment Tool, which measures and forecasts health status in small geographic areas, evaluates the impact of specific interventions, monitors changes in health outcomes, and undertakes risk assessments (health-care utilization and its financial implications). NMQF uses the Health Assessment Tool to stratify communities by geographic and health-status referents and to provide the health-disparities movement with a common set of indicators to measure and report on progress toward the elimination of disparities in health care and health status.
Dr. Puckrein graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University, where he received his master’s degree (1974) and doctorate (1978). Between 1974 and 1992, he taught and lectured at Roger Williams College, Brown University, Connecticut College, and Rutgers University, where he was a tenured member of the faculty. Dr. Puckrein has received many awards and honors, including being named a visiting scholar and fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and a visiting fellow at Princeton University. He was publisher of American Visions, the country’s leading African American art and cultural magazine, which he launched during his tenure at the Smithsonian Institution and Rutgers University. Dr. Puckrein also created and launched Minority Health Today, which served the needs of clinicians practicing in minority communities.
Anika Rahman
AiArthritis
Anika Rahman
Anika Rahman has over 12 years of extensive experience in government affairs, legislative tracking, grassroots advocacy, campaigns, and organizing for social justice, public affairs, and foreign policy.
She is fluent in multiple languages: English, French, Bangla, and Hindi. She has worked as an advocate on the Hill and in the Virginia General Assembly for over 6 sessions, delivering her expertise in navigating legislative processes at both the federal and state levels. Anika has managed multiple successful Democratic Senate and State Delegate races/campaigns.
Anika’s achievements have been recognized as she was honored as one of the 40 under 40 in Northern Virginia in 2023 by the Leadership Center for Excellence. Anika is currently the Co-Vice Chair of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV) and National Chair for South Asian for America’s Candidate Recruitment.
Anika has also demonstrated a strong background in designing and implementing advocacy strategies. Her experience includes providing strategic direction for developing and positioning policy positions and advocacy priorities. She has organized and facilitated numerous meetings, briefings, fundraisers, and events with leaders and advocates from various sectors. Her proactive approach to relationship-building and ability to train young professionals in relational leadership have made her an asset in the political and nonprofit realms. In addition to her political and policy expertise, Anika has a strong background in data-driven solutions, leadership development, effective communication, and coalition building. She has a proven record in developing and overseeing government affairs programs, issue management, campaign execution, coalition-building, political action, and critical communications.
Anika completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in International Development from George Mason University. She is also a UVA Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Candidate Training Program graduate.
Jason Spangler
Innovation and Value Initiative
Jason Spangler, MD, MPH, FACPM
Dr. Spangler earned his MD at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in 1998 and his Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2002. His commitment to public health, preventive medicine, and health equity date back to his medical school residency, during which he served as a medical team leader for free clinics in Costa Rica, a resident coordinator for free clinics for homeless around UPMC, and a clinical educator in the International Medical Corps in Kosovo.
After serving one year as Chief Resident, Dr. Spangler joined Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals as a Public Health and Health Policy Consultant. He remained in this role for three years and then moved on to the Partnership for Prevention, where he started as a Managing Senior Fellow and was promoted to Chief Medical Officer until he was recruited to Amgen.
Andrea Thoumi
Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
Andrea Thoumi, MPP, MSc
Andrea Thoumi, MPP, MSc is the Area Lead, Community Health and Equity and Faculty Director, Health Equity Education at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. In this capacity, she advances the Center’s aim to enhance policy analysis, research, and education in health equity. She also holds a secondary appointment as Consulting Associate with the Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Andrea combines expertise in health policy, health financing, health equity, and community health. Her research interests include mitigating systemic inequities that Latine communities experience through health policies. She also serves as a Core Faculty Member and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke-Margolis, Executive Team Member for the Latinx Advocacy Team & Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19 (LATIN-19) in North Carolina, and Vice Chair for AcademyHealth’s Health Equity Interest Group. She is the recipient of AcademyHealth’s Honorable Mention, Alice S. Hersh Emerging Leader Award (2023) and Disparities Interest Group Early-Stage Distinguished Investigator Award (2021) for her leadership, mentorship, and research and recipient of the Duke Presidential Award (2020) for exceptional service to the Duke community as a LATIN-19 team member.
Previously, she oversaw Duke-Margolis’s global health portfolio spanning value-based care, universal health coverage, primary health care, reproductive health and innovations to increase access to health services. Prior to Duke, Andrea was a Research Associate at the Brookings Institution, managing research on global accountable care and alternative payment models for oncology and diabetes. Previously, she worked as a Senior Analyst at Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), conducting monitoring and evaluation for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria HIV/AIDS programs in Argentina and Belize. Andrea has also consulted for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, and the World Bank on health equity, financial protection, and health innovation. She holds a Master in Public Policy from Georgetown University, an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and BA in Community Health and International Relations from Tufts University.
Josh Trent
Leavitt Partners
Josh Trent
Josh Trent is a managing principal based in Leavitt Partners’ Washington, D.C. office. Josh has more than a decade and a half of experience in the federal government—from the White House to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House on Capitol Hill.
In his role at Leavitt Partners, Josh develops and manages multi-sector alliances and advises clients throughout the health care sector on federal health care policy and strategy. He specializes in public insurance under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, commercial health insurance, the 340B program, and the Affordable Care Act.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Josh served as Chief Health Counsel for Chairman Greg Walden of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, Josh was the lead House staffer for the landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis, The SUPPORT Act (P.L. 115-271). He also led the House’s work to reauthorize The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which was eventually enacted the following year (P.L. 116-22).
Josh previously served under both Walden and Chairman Fred Upton as Deputy Chief Health Counsel. In this role, he played a key part in crafting the Medicaid, Medicare, and state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provisions in the House’s Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 115-123), and he led the House’s work to enact the longest extension of the CHIP in the history of the program (P.L. 115-120). Previously, as Professional Staff under Chairman Upton, Josh assisted in the development and passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (P.L. 114-198) and the sweeping law to advance the discovery, development, and delivery of cures and treatments, The 21st Century Cures Act (P.L.114-255).
Prior to working in the House, Josh served for five years as Health Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). In that role, Josh was involved in the legislative process leading to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
Before coming to Capitol Hill, Josh spent six years in the administration of President George W. Bush, including three years as an executive recruiter in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House helping identify and recruit individuals for senior Administration roles. He also spent a year and a half as deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Josh received his Bachelor of Arts from Union University and received his master’s degree in international politics from the University of Bath in Bath, England.
Geni Tunstall
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
Geni Tunstall, JD
Geni Tunstall is the Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). In her role at AMCP, Geni is responsible for analyzing, communicating, and advocating AMCP’s policy positions with government agencies, to AMCP members, and other key stakeholders. She focuses on regulatory issues related to managed care pharmacy including, but not limited to, health equity, prescription drug coverage, brand and biologic medication issues, and benefit design.
Before joining AMCP in 2022, Geni worked in Regulatory Affairs at CVS Caremark. In that role, Geni analyzed regulations and legislation relating to pharmacy benefit managers, advised the business on regulatory compliance, and oversaw the implementation of new requirements for prior authorization, step therapy, pharmacy networks, and formulary design.
Geni previously worked as an attorney, in both corporate and law firm settings. She earned her J.D. from Arizona State University.
Michael Ward
Alliance for Aging Research
Michael Ward
Michael leads the Alliance for Aging Research’s regulatory and legislative efforts. In this role, he conducts direct advocacy and strategic planning for engagement with Congressional offices, the White House, and federal agencies, including the FDA, CMS, and the CDC. Michael serves as a convener for multiple coalitions that elevate the patient voice within policy spheres of influence to advance affordability, access, equity, and funding for healthcare research. His work at the Alliance has also focused on advancing patient-centered value assessment, improved methods of quality measurement, and reducing out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries.
Previously, Michael worked in leading policy development roles at Premier, Inc., the American Hospital Association, and Avalere. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Religious Studies from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.