AMCP to hold panel discussion on managed care pharmacy Feb. 11
By Joseph Paul Javier
The Wayne State University chapter of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) will hold a virtual panel discussion Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. The seminar will feature guest speakers from AMCP Midwest and focus on explaining what managed care pharmacists do, the importance of networking within the industry, and the important role they play in providing safe and cost-effective patient care.
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"Managed care pharmacy is figuring out the most efficient way to properly care for patients, controlling costs while ensuring patient safety," says WSU AMCP President Fadi Manuel. "The increasing costs of health care are not sustainable, especially given recent economic trends. Through managed care pharmacy, pharmacists play a vital role in managing health outcomes and cost while enjoying diverse responsibilities in the health care system. When I first entered pharmacy school, I wasn't familiar with managed care pharmacy. However, through AMCP I learned how this career path can benefit so many people. When working within a health plan, the work that you do can impact thousands, if not millions of lives. This is what I want to do, make the biggest impact I can and help improve the quality of health care for as many patients as I can."
The AMCP Midwest panelists will be Dr. Joy Wahawisan, clinical analytics pharmacist from Physicians Health Plan; Dr. Manjula Jayabalan, director of drug trend and formulary rebate strategy from Express Scripts; Dr. Troy Koch, director, account medical lead from Takeda; Dr. Aisha Hussain, clinical professional, specialty client solutions from CVS Specialty; and Dr. Avin Yaldo, health economics and outcomes researcher at Bayer HealthCare.
"Managed care pharmacists sit at the nexus of payment and value. There's only so much money and we make sure that the care being provided is at the highest level of value and prioritize the health outcomes that are needed," says Dr. Koch. "Evaluating drugs, putting programs together that drive the appropriate utilization of medications, providing the analysis of our populations - there's so much that managed care pharmacists do."
"Managed care is growing increasingly more complex. There are always new problems we are dealing with and our industry growing. There are more opportunities, more new jobs being created, jobs that weren't here 10 years ago," Dr. Jayabalan notes. "Careers in managed care are exciting. However, the industry is getting more and more competitive."
Dr. Yaldo, who is a Wayne State alumnus, adds: "By joining AMCP, student can achieve valuable networking and experience. By finding these points of contact, students can learn what is of interest to them in this industry. AMCP can provide these benefits and help and guide you to see if a career in managed care pharmacy is the right path for you."