The talk and slide material is intended for those in health plans, benefit management, and sales or marketing management with limited to moderate knowledge or those with more expertise seeking other perspectives.

Randy’s Specialty Pharmacy & Biologics can be found here.

While the United States healthcare system continues to go through its evolution resulting from health reform initiatives, individual areas of the country are experiencing some unique market shifts or changes among the key stakeholders. As a result, organizations selling into health plans or delivery systems in those select areas of the country may be facing unknown changes among those key stakeholders or not fully understanding the current or emerging interrelationships among the key players in a geographic area.

In addition, specific disease states and or therapeutic technologies may be undergoing rapid or significant change that can improve patient outcomes as well as increase the cost of care related to delivering those outcomes.

To illustrate how these changes can be juxtaposed, we use the example of one MSA or specific geographic area bounded by the city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania as it relates to the management as well as treatment for hepatitis C. This discussion briefly explores how a changing marketplace among health insurers and healthcare providers impact decisions being made by employers as plan sponsors as well as patients who are being diagnosed or treated for hepatitis C.

This brief video will provide the viewer with an example of some of the unique insights on the managed care an employer specific marketplace within the United States that the Bentelligence and Knowledge Source can provide your organization.

During the past couple of years we have seen the US healthcare system go through unprecedented changes along with a growing interest in biologic therapies. Biologics and specialty pharmacy are the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical portion of the healthcare dollar, representing 16% of drug spending. For some health benefit plans in the past two years these yearly increases in pharmacy benefit spending was more than 20%.

Drug, device, and diagnostic companies are investing heavily in the development of new drug products for the treatment of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis multiple sclerosis and a variety of cancers. Chronic pain and Alzheimer’s disease are other disease states that are attracting investment.

In this video Randy Vogenberg presents results from two current surveys. First is data from the latest biologic finance and access Council survey results of more than 150 healthcare executives across the United States. The survey, conducted in late 2010, was a follow-up to the first survey conducted 2009 in order to glean insight on: knowledge about and management of Biologics in healthcare; issues of importance to each stakeholder; and trends to watch regarding biologic access and financial coverage.

Second is data from the newest national employer survey on Biologics/specialty pharmacy completed in the summer of 2011 in collaboration with the Midwest business group on health. This brief commentary will provide the viewer with some unique insights on the managed care and employer specific marketplace within the United States that Bentelligence and Knowledge Source can provide your organization.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Greg Judd, Founder and CEO of Bentelligence, to discuss Knowledge Source’s collaboration with the company. Bentelligence provides a 360 degree view of benefits advisors, health plans and employer plan sponsors. It is a web based market intelligence tool and expert support for all stakeholders in health care.

Bentelligence helps clients shift their thinking from the tactical to the strategic when looking at local market opportunities.

The initial market that Knowledge Source will collaborate with Bentelligence is the Pittsburgh, PA MSA, home to 1.7 million people and over 700 large employers with health benefits.

Greg and I had the opportunity to discuss the current state of the Pittsburgh health care market and the opportunities that Bentelligence identifies and the solutions they deliver to clients in this local market.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based, and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. The 39 local member companies of the BCBSA provide healthcare coverage for approximately 98 million people nationwide.

Knowledge Source’s report Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Market Overview examines the competitive landscape of the health insurance market and the role the BCBSA and the Blue Cross Plans play. The latest key issues and developments in the market are identified and the BCBSA and the 39 Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans are profiled.

The report can be purchased here.

The Group Purchasing Organizations Market Overview examines the competitive landscape of the group purchasing industry. The latest key issues and developments in the market are identified and more than 70 of the leading market participants in this sector are profiled.

This Knowledge Source Market Overview can be purchased through the Knowledge Source Store.

America’s Military Health System (MHS) is a unique partnership of medical educators, medical researchers, and healthcare providers and their support personnel worldwide which provide care for approximately 9.6 million people. As a major component of the Military Health System, TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the uniformed services and supplements them with networks of civilian health care professionals, institutions, pharmacies and suppliers to provide access to high-quality health care services while maintaining the capability to support military operations.

This year, VA expects to treat nearly 6 million patients during 78 million outpatient visits and 906,000 inpatient admissions. Knowledge Source’s Military Healthcare Market Overview provides the information you need to gain an understanding of the of the military healthcare market and the trends which affect it. Knowledge Source’s Military Healthcare Market Overview provides an overview of the Military Health System, the TRICARE program and the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

This report can be purchased at the Knowledge Source online store.

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