Agenda for Day 2 – Wednesday, March 24, 2027 - EST/EDT (Eastern Daylight, GMT-4)
- Explore the shifting regulatory framework at both state and federal levels, gaining clarity on recent changes and updated guidelines that affect patient assistance and free drug programs
- Address key legal watchouts and compliance considerations, equipping program leaders with the knowledge needed to ensure their initiatives align with current regulations
- Examine recent court rulings and their operational implications for patient assistance and access programs, understanding how judicial decisions are shaping the field
- Ashley Bender Spirn - Senior Counsel, U.S. Pricing and Access, Gilead Sciences
Prepare for demand surges by understanding how 2028 Medicaid cuts and policy updates may drive increased patient assistance program enrollment, enabling proactive capacity planning and resource allocation
Adapt eligibility processes to accommodate more frequent eligibility checks and evolving criteria, ensuring your program can efficiently verify and re-verify patient qualification while maintaining compliance
Support vulnerable transitions by developing targeted strategies to assist newly uninsured patients moving from Medicaid coverage to charitable assistance programs, creating seamless pathways that prevent treatment interruption
Gain guidance distinguishing compliant practices from non-compliant ones, with practical examples that clarify expectations and reduce compliance risk
Tackle the gray areas that often create uncertainty, offering perspectives on how to approach ambiguous situations while maintaining program integrity
- Danielle Green - Senior Director, Legal & Compliance, Savara
- Explore strategies to identify emerging patient populations who are newly uninsured or underinsured and understand the factors driving their vulnerability, enabling proactive outreach and program design
- Navigate eligibility requirements for various patient assistance programs and learn how to guide newly uninsured patients through the qualification process to access medications and support services
- Develop targeted support strategies that address the unique needs and concerns of patients experiencing insurance loss for the first time, improving enrollment rates and program effectiveness
- Richard Sperry - Chief Strategy Officer, GBS|CIDP Foundation International
Patients increasingly face a complex web of access barriers, including prior authorization requirements, claims denials, coverage restrictions, copay accumulators, alternative funding programs, and confusing appeals processes.
This practical session will walk attendees through real-world scenarios and demonstrate how patient support professionals can identify barriers, determine appropriate escalation pathways, support patients through appeals processes, and coordinate solutions.
Understand the full impact of financial hardship and social determinants of health on treatment adherence and patient outcomes, exploring the intersection of financial toxicity, transportation challenges, food insecurity and other non-medical barriers that affect access to care and therapeutic success
Learn practical, actionable strategies for healthcare organizations and patient support teams to systematically identify and address these barriers, with real-world examples from oncology demonstrating how to connect patients with comprehensive support resources that address both medical and social needs
- Lyndsey Griffin, MSW,LCSW-C,OSW-C - Manager, Cancer Program Accreditation, UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center
- Strengthen foundation operations by implementing governance structures and processes that preserve independence while building collaborative, trust-based relationships with manufacturer donors
- Establish meaningful success metrics that demonstrate foundation impact to stakeholders, interpret demand trends effectively and set realistic targets that balance patient need with organizational capacity
Learn real-world AI implementation strategies with documented results from programs that have moved beyond pilot phases, including specific use cases for organizational management and operational efficiencies that preserve the critical human touch patients need
Understand the practical barriers and lessons learned when deploying AI in patient support environments, including how to maintain appropriate tone and empathy during vulnerable patient moments while leveraging technology for backend processes
Discover how AI is evolving program capabilities and creating new efficiencies without compromising the patient experience, with concrete examples of what's working and what's not in current PSP operations
Learn how leading programs track and leverage data across multiple touchpoints—including the use of data aggregators and integration with electronic health record
Discover key metrics and benchmarking approaches that bridge operational performance with strategic decision-making, including what successful programs are tracking and how they're using insights to evolve their offerings
Understand data flow challenges and solutions when managing complex ecosystems with practical strategies for maintaining visibility and control
- Decode pricing reform complexity and understand how IRA provisions, MFN pricing mechanisms, and Medicare negotiations are fundamentally altering the economics of patient assistance, positioning your program ahead of industry-wide disruption
Build scenario-ready strategies that prepare your organization for multiple Medicare expansion possibilities, from incremental age adjustments to universal coverage, ensuring operational resilience regardless of political outcomes
Future-proof your funding programs by anticipating how negotiated drug prices will impact manufacturer support, charitable giving capacity and program sustainability, allowing you to diversify resources and maintain mission delivery
Navigate the fragmented landscape by understanding how state-level Medicaid policy decisions—including work requirements, six-month renewals, and retroactive coverage limitations—are creating vastly different patient assistance needs across geographic regions
Identify vulnerable populations most affected by state policy variations and develop targeted outreach strategies to support newly uninsured individuals falling through coverage gaps created by restrictive eligibility rules
Optimize resource allocation by mapping state-specific Medicaid changes alongside ACA premium tax credit availability, enabling data-driven decisions about where to concentrate patient assistance efforts and how to tailor program design regionally
- Melissa Horn, MPA - Director of State Legislative Affairs, Arthritis Foundation
This session celebrates the environment built to support the patient journey, examining how Patient Assistance Programs can stay ahead of rising patient volume despite a disproportionately smaller increase in funding. It explores what it took to get five steps ahead of sustainability challenges, what has been accomplished along the way, and where programs can head next.
- Rachel Thorpe - Executive Director, Otsuka Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc.
- Explore how new credit reporting policies—including extended waiting periods and removal of medical debt from credit reports—affect patient eligibility screening, financial need assessment, and program enrollment strategies
- Understand how mandatory cost disclosure and financial assistance screening requirements create new touchpoints for PAP engagement
- Learn best practices for positioning your program as a proactive solution that benefits both patients and healthcare organizations while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations
Optimize operational efficiency by implementing AI-powered solutions for patient outreach and care coordination that reduce administrative burden, accelerate response times and allow staff to focus on high-value patient interactions
Harness agentic AI capabilities to automate routine tasks, provide 24/7 patient support and create intelligent workflows that adapt to patient needs while maintaining the essential human connection that drives trust and engagement
Ensure responsible implementation by understanding data privacy requirements, security considerations, and best practices for deploying digital solutions that protect patient information while delivering measurable improvements in program performance
Break down communication barriers between patients, providers and PAPs by implementing integration strategies that ensure seamless information flow, reduce duplicate data entry, and create a unified view of patient support across touchpoints
Enhance engagement and outcomes through portal features that empower patients to self-serve while giving healthcare providers the clinical context and administrative tools they need to advocate for patients and facilitate timely assistance approvals
Master complex payer mechanisms that undermine patient assistance effectiveness, including accumulator adjustment programs, copay maximizers, and alternative funding programs (AFPs), understanding how each operates and their specific impacts on patient out-of-pocket costs and medication access
Develop countermeasures and workarounds to protect patients from policies designed to extract maximum value from manufacturer assistance while leaving patients with unexpected financial burden, ensuring your program dollars reach patients rather than subsidizing payer benefit design
Advocate strategically by building evidence-based arguments against these practices, engaging regulators and policymakers, and educating patients and providers about their rights and options when facing accumulator and maximizer programs
- Kelley Windfield - Senior Director, Market Access, pharma&
- Britney Emigh - Senior Manager, Patient Access, pharma&
- Confront uncomfortable truths about digital security vulnerabilities that emerge
Educate and protect healthcare partners who may be unknowingly exposing patient data through digital portals, email communications, and phone systems that lack the physical security inherent in traditional fax transmission, creating liability exposure for both providers and patient assistance programs
Build demonstrable security frameworks that go beyond compliance checkboxes to create verifiable, auditable data protection systems, enabling you to prove—not just claim—that your digital infrastructure protects patient privacy more effectively than legacy methods while meeting HIPAA requirements and stakeholder expectations
Discover proven strategies from frontline rural providers who successfully navigate geographic, economic and systemic barriers to connect patients with critical assistance programs and care resources
Learn innovative approaches to building patient trust, enhancing health literacy and fostering self-advocacy skills in rural communities where healthcare access is limited
Gain actionable insights on implementing telehealth solutions, streamlining patient assistance program enrollment and creating sustainable support networks that empower rural patients as active partners in their care
- Danielle Brown, MBA, RN, OCN, CN-BN - Vice President of Nursing, Local Infusion
As healthcare systems grow increasingly complex—with Alternative Funding Plans, third-party intermediaries, and intricate coverage requirements—even well-informed patients struggle to access the support they need. This session introduces Universal Patient Language (UPL), a health literacy framework designed to make healthcare communication clearer, simpler, and more accessible. Through real-world examples, attendees learn how applying UPL principles to common patient assistance challenges can reduce confusion, minimize administrative burden and significantly improve the patient experience.
- Learn actionable strategies to simplify patient-facing communications and reduce barriers to accessing assistance programs, directly improving health and access literacy for vulnerable populations
- Explore real-world case studies demonstrating how UPL principles address common challenges including AFP confusion, third-party enrollment misconceptions, documentation burden and complex renewal processes
- Gain practical tools for implementing a health literacy framework within your own organization to enhance patient empowerment, streamline operations and create more equitable access to care
- Caroline Vento - Senior Director, Patient Assistance, Bristol Myers Squibb
- Anna Subrizi - Senior Director, Patient Empowerment, Bristol Myers Squibb
Discover strategic frameworks for planning and implementing evidence-based programs that improve patient access to innovative treatments and close gaps between available healthcare solutions and those who need them most
Learn how to identify and overcome critical barriers—from systemic inequities to resource constraints—that prevent patients from accessing and benefiting from proven, effective healthcare interventions
Master data-driven program development techniques that prioritize actual patient questions and concerns over assumptions, ensuring access initiatives address the real barriers patients face in receiving quality care
- Alex Morozov - CEO, Eviva Partners
De-risk major transitions by learning from manufacturers who have successfully navigated vendor changes, consolidations and program redesigns, understanding the critical planning steps, timeline considerations and stakeholder management strategies that separate smooth transitions from operational disasters
Avoid costly mistakes through candid peer discussions about what went wrong in failed transitions and the corrective actions that salvaged troubled implementations
Build comprehensive transition playbooks using proven frameworks for change management, communication planning, risk mitigation, and success measurement that can be adapted to your organization's specific transition needs
- Alex Beilinson - Director, Patient Access, Nuvalent
- Lisa Kommers - Senior Director, Market Access, Corcept Therapeutics
Come together with fellow patient assistance program professionals for a collaborative learning experience that celebrates the power of our collective knowledge. This interactive polling session creates a space for PAP leaders to share experiences, compare approaches, and learn from one another in real-time.
- Josette Di Biasi - Patient Assistance Program Lead, Bausch Heath