Durable, potentially curative therapies for genetic disorders and cancer have arrived. Short—even single dose—treatment regimens yield lasting health benefits, but large single payments will challenge the current reimbursement system. Financing approaches, policy, and business operations may need to adapt to address emerging therapies.
March 10, 2020
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
This intensive 1-day workshop at MIT will help you:
- Understand the expected impact of the therapy pipeline
- Learn to leverage tools to help determine how your plan could be affected
- Become fluent in potential frameworks and issues for implementing cell and gene therapy financing agreements
Ideal for:
- Public and private insurers
- Healthcare consultants and analysts
- Patient advocates
- Pharma / biotech strategists

Agenda
The Paying for Cures Workshop from the FoCUS Consortium is designed to share research and solutions to the challenge of paying for high cost, durable and curative therapies. You will leave understanding the estimated clinical trial pipeline of these types of therapies and their potential impact on the healthcare system.
Further, you will learn the new frameworks available for implementing cutting edge financing agreements and hear from those who are breaking new ground with their unique methods of working to balance financing risks with these curative therapies and their potential to end disease. Bringing together a holistic set of insights from patient, payer, provider and developer experiences, this workshop will provide helpful tools that you can use within your organization as you plan for the future.
Welcome and introductions
Mark Trusheim, Strategic Director, NEWDIGS; FoCUS Project Lead; Visiting Scientist at MIT Sloan School of Management
Framing the issue
The FoCUS team has created a database cataloguing the durable and curative therapies that are coming to market and projected when therapies for certain indications will be available. With this data and analysis, attendees will understand the actuarial implications and insights, and be able to use tools to simulate their own risks, exposure and benefits.
Colin Young, Director, Drug Development Pipeline Research, NEWDIGS FoCUS Project
Precision Financing Promises and Challenges
During this segment, attendees will view the FoCUS Tool Kit. This series of models and spreadsheets are free and allow users to walk through and analyze their own data. Case studies will be used in this segment to demonstrate how the Tool Kit works.
Mark Trusheim, Strategic Director, NEWDIGS; FoCUS Project Lead; Visiting Scientist at MIT Sloan School of Management
Danielle Rollmann, Advisor, NEWDIGS FoCUS Project; Partner, Next Wave Consulting
Panel & Discussion
Precision Financing Solutions – Commercial
Our expert panel will discuss what’s happening “in the field” and share insights, tools and solutions. Learn how these financing solutions work – and don’t always work and hear about the ancillary challenges including data acquisition and creation of metrics.
Mark Trusheim, Strategic Director, NEWDIGS; FoCUS Project Lead; Visiting Scientist at MIT Sloan School of Management and Moderator
Tim Brent, Senior Director, Business Development, National Hemophilia Foundation
Karen Geary, Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc.
Desiree Otenti, Senior Director, Medical Policy and Program Implementation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Ronald G. Potts, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Interlink Health Services
Regulatory and Legal Challenges
Hear from two thought leaders regarding what the legislative and regulatory landscape looks like for these new financial solutions
Margaux Hall, JD, Health Regulatory Counsel, Hogan Lovells, LLP
Robert Falb, Director, US Policy and Advocacy, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
Leveraging the Toolkit Modeling Tools: A Deep Dive, Hands-on working session
Daniel Mytelka, Director, Simulation and Policy Research, NEWDIGS FoCUS Project
Danielle Rollmann, Advisor, NEWDIGS FoCUS Project; Partner, Next Wave Consulting
Colin Young, Director, Drug Development Pipeline Research, NEWDIGS FoCUS Project
Drug Developer TBA
Panel & Discussion
Precision Financing Solutions – Medicaid Overview
Medicaid has allowed for early experimentation with unique financing and payment models. Oklahoma and Massachusetts have been leading the way for other states – both with very different approaches.
Jane Barlow, Senior Advisor, NEWDIGS FoCUS Project and Moderator
Terry Cothran, D.Ph., Senior Director of Pharmacy, Oklahoma Health Care Authority
Kaha Hizanishvili, Chief, Provider and Pharmacy Programs, Mass Health
Recap and conclusion
Mark Trusheim, Strategic Director, NEWDIGS; FoCUS Project Lead; Visiting Scientist at MIT Sloan School of Management
Registration
March 10, 2020
8am – 5:30pm
Samberg Conference Center, 6th Floor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02142
Registration fees
State / Medicaid payers and patient advocates, group (2+ people):
$450 per person
State / Medicaid payers and patient advocates, individual:
$600
Commercial, group (2+ people):
$800 per person
Commercial payers and other private organizations, individual:
$900
50% discount for FoCUS Project Sponsors. Please contact Katie Torrence to get the code for automatic discount at registration.