The Granite List Live

Drug spend is on track to account for 40% of total annual healthcare spend for commercial plans by 2025 and 2025 is just around the corner. And that's compared to just 4% in 1995. To date, there are 600 new to market drugs seeking FDA approval by 2022 and of those 70% are specialty drugs. Sally and Leigh's guest is Sarah Kline, Partner/Chief Operations Officer at 44 North. This episode covers the supply chain of markups and discounts that are ultimately paid by the employer and employee. You're feeding the supply chain and everyone's taking a little piece of that cost, which really just adds to the cost increase cycle. Listen to this episode: Everyone gets a slice, but who's paying for the specialty drug cake?

Learn about 44 North >

Welcome back to the second half of the interview with  Ryan Rice and Chris Ziemke from Prism Health Group. Our conversation continues, but we switch gears to the topic of rebates themselves that are oftentimes set forth in a proposal from a PBM. And what we've noticed in those rates is there's been such a degree of escalation over the last five years. Chris says, "you're getting bigger rebates, but you're also spending a lot more in stepping over a dollar to pick up a needle. And that's really not the advised direction that we would take with folks. And we're going to see more of this."   

This concept of the aggregator and the way in which a rebate aggregator works with plan sponsors is emerging in the marketplace, along with the emergence of GPOs or group purchasing organizations.  

You will also hear Prism's advice on the one additional question you should ask that is not typically asked in an RFP. Listen to this episode, Bigger rebates aren’t always better.

Ryan Rice and Chris Ziemke from Prism Health Group represent a new breed of healthcare consultants, poised to impact the entire healthcare spectrum versus the traditional, siloed approach. They saw the needs in the pharmacy industry specifically to navigate the pharmacy benefit management space. Employers needed a better understanding of their pharmacy spending from an unbiased source. That's where Prism Health Group comes in. Listen to this episode, "Drugs and Data – How Analytics Truly Impact Claims Spend."

Breast Cancer awareness is 12 months a year if we are to save more lives and have earlier detection. Sally and Leigh's guests today are here to help.  Celbrea® does not replace a mammogram, but gives an interim, non-invasive, radiation-free way to check one of the earliest warning, before feeling a lump and takes only 15 minutes. Every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Every 13 minutes a woman dies IN THE USA. Using liquid crystal thermographic technology, Celbrea basically takes the temperature of the two breasts and compares them. You'll want to hear about this life-saving technology that works alongside other early detection techniques. Sally and Leigh welcome Kelley Ospal and Jaime Pira of Welwaze, the creators of Celbrea, to inspire you to either offer this service in your office, or health plan, or for you the patient to request it. Women, it's the best 15 minutes you can spend between mammograms. You may want to bring your mom, aunt, sister, daughter, cousin, best friends, too. When this is offered as an event in the workplace, the increase in breast cancer screening and preventive measure success increases from 40% to 88%!

Learn more about Celbrea at https://celbrea.com and more about the company behind this technology at welwaze.com.

Michael Ketslakh, CEO of National Diagnostic Services gives us a broad overview of vaccinating large companies on-site and the costs of weekly and daily testing. Sally, Leigh and Michael discuss being able to implement strategies that provide a safe environment for the individuals to be close together, but also create a model that is sensitive to the cost burden that the employer would have to be able to continue sequential testing for those employees. With OSCHA Compliance in the mind of many employers who require their staff to be on-site without a work-from-home option, the cost can make or break a company. Rapid tests, when provided onsite can cost around $20 - $30. PCR testing is between $100 and $120. By implementing a pooling method, NDS is able bring down the cost of the more accurate PCR test to the range of the less expensive rapid test. Listen to this episode to hear how it works.

One of the biggest barriers to individuals being proactive in their healthcare is the time it requires off of work, especially those in an hourly position.  This has a trickle-down effect on adherence to preventive measures such as cholesterol checks, EKGs, and logging in family history when minor symptoms present themselves. By the time an issue escalates, plan members may find themselves needing an ambulance, ER visit, or worse. National Diagnostic Services has a soft spot for emergency workers in municipalities and is dedicated to going to them at their stations, offices, schools to help them stay ahead of their health concerns. Many employers will compensate employees for their time visiting the drive-up medical van because it makes sense. It saves lives, time, money, heartache. Join Leigh and Sally as they start this conversation with Michael Ketslakh, CEO of National Diagnostic Services to learn more.

In this episode, Dr. David Adamson, CEO of ARC Fertility covers fertility care from the benefits provider point of view and advises on the importance of learning about the fertility benefits programs that are available so they can better inform their clients about their options and the positive outcomes these programs can bring to their company.

Here is the first part of this interview:

Can Employers Afford to Provide Fertility Benefits? Can They Afford Not to? Part 1

Dr. David Adamson, CEO of ARC Fertility addresses challenges around offering fertility benefits and defines actionable steps for brokers and employers to get started. ARC Fertility benefits empower businesses of all sizes to foster an inclusive workplace culture, positively impact DEI, attract and retain top talent while reducing health care costs.

Today, we’re continuing our conversation with Michael Thompson, the president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. He discusses the importance of whole-person care with hosts Leigh and Sally. This episode is a continuation of The Big Three, what employers are focusing on now. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, you may want to listen to it first and pick back up here after you’re done.

Michael Thompson, the president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, sits down with Leigh and Sally to discuss the three things employers and consultants should be focusing on now as they adapt to today’s environment for a thriving workforce. He shares how the nation’s premier purchasing coalition is charging their employer members to think broader, viewing the total health care needed for an employee and solving for it within the benefits plan.