AMCP Partnership Forum: Helping patients anticipate and manage drug costs

Prescription drug spending has been rising in recent years and is expected to continue to grow over the next decade. As such, concerns regarding patient affordability and access are areas of focus across the health care industry. In response to these concerns, AMCP held a multidisciplinary stakeholder forum March 12-13, 2020, in Alexandria, Virginia, to consider the implications and opportunities of various existing and potential drug-pricing reforms. Participants represented diverse sectors of the health care industry including health plans, patient advocacy organizations, employers, integrated delivery systems, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), specialty pharmacies, and biopharmaceutical companies. During the live forum, participants evaluated prescription affordability challenges and potential reforms, possible solutions to improve transparency and help patients understand and manage their drug costs, and the future of affordability in pharmacy. These proceedings summarize the key topics and discussion points from the forum. Ultimately, participants recognized that many current pharmaceutical affordability issues are related or are in response to other elements of the health care system. Overall, they called for (a) greater transparency and better alignment among all health care industry stakeholders to place patients in the center of decision making and (b) for any benefit changes or reforms to consider patient access, affordability, and adherence.