David Calabrese of OptumRx Talks New Role, Market Insulin Prices and Other Topics 'On His Mind'
In this month’s episode of the "What's On Your Mind podcast," Peter Wehrwein, managing editor of MHE connects with the now Chief Clinical Officer of OptumRx Integrated Pharmacies, David Calabrese. In this conversation, David touches on his transition in January as OptumRx’s former chief pharmacy officer and market president of health plans and PBMs to his new role as Chief Clinical Officer where he now focuses more on things such as specialty pharmacy to home delivery — with an overall goal of creating whole-patient care. Throughout the conversation, Calabrese also touched on the market’s hot topic of insulin prices and behavioral health services within the OptumRx community, among other topics.
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When asked "What Is On Your Mind," first thing in the morning as it pertains to his career, David Calabrese, chief clinical officer at OptumRx Integrated Pharmacies, responded with a big question he asks himself, "How do I use my position within the indsutry, within this particular organization, to help contribute in positive ways, to staying ahead of the curve, helping our clients stay ahead of the curve, dealing with the complexities, and the ever-evolving environment that we operate in?
Calabrese added on by asking "How do we help the patient to better understand, maneuver, and better engage in this complicated system that grows more complicated by the day, by the hour, to simplify things for them, so they can achieve optimal value and so that we can ensure they are more empowered to participate in their care, and to gain the most out of that care?"
It's crucial to put the patient first when your ultimate goal is whole-patient care.
Calabrese stressed that members and constituents in the healthcare community should try and always remember to "keep the patient first and their condition second."
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Josh Benner of RxAnte Talks Medication Misuse Challenges, Solutions and the Future of Pharmacy
November 10th 2021Briana Contreras, associate editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, spoke with Josh Benner, founder and CEO of RxAnte, in this latest episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast. In the conversation, Benner addressed the issue of medication misuse among patients based on access, demographics and more, as well as its solutions. The two also talked about the role technology has on the future of pharmacy and how solutions provided through RxAnte can assist plans to improve their CMS Start rating measures.
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