Digital Health Heavyweights
This conversational podcast brings you exclusive interviews with all the Heavyweights in Digital Health. Hosted by Norm Volsky, a top industry headhunter, whose team helped scale companies including Livongo, Hinge Health, Lyra, Virta, Progyny and many more. This series will bring listeners insights into the latest trends, technologies, and strategies driving the digital health revolution.
In each episode, Norm sits down with some of the most influential and innovative leaders in healthcare technology today from legendary founders who have built successful companies, venture capitalists who have led funding rounds, HR/Benefits leaders at forward thinking companies, Consultants and Brokers at the top benefits consulting firms, and other impactful visionaries challenging the status quo in healthcare. Listeners can learn from the industry greats who have created what we now know as health benefits, and who are changing the face of healthcare as we know it.
Whether you're a healthcare professional, a tech enthusiast, a start-up founder, benefits aficionado, jobseeker in Digital Health, or simply curious about the future of healthcare, Digital Health Heavyweights has something for you.
Digital Health Heavyweights
Episode 9: Mark Mincy, Chief Commercial Officer at US-RX Care
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In this episode of the Digital Health Heavyweights podcast, Norm Volsky interviews Mark Mincy, Chief Commercial Officer of USRX, to unpack the complex and often opaque world of pharmacy benefit management. They discuss fiduciary risks, conflicts of interest within traditional PBM models, and the structural incentives that drive up pharmacy costs for employers and employees. Mark shares his career journey in the pharmacy benefits space and explains why transparency, accountability, and independent fiduciary oversight are essential to meaningful reform. The conversation also explores specialty drug cost drivers, high-deductible health plans, legislative shifts, and how employers can take greater control of their pharmacy strategy without relying solely on legacy PBMs.
Takeaways
💊 Pharmacy benefit management is one of the most misunderstood drivers of healthcare costs.
⚖️ Fiduciary risk in pharmacy benefits is growing and requires employer attention.
🏦 Traditional PBM models often contain structural conflicts of interest.
🔍 Transparency is critical for controlling pharmacy spending.
📈 Specialty drug costs are a major contributor to rising employer healthcare expenses.
🏢 Employers can reclaim control by reevaluating vendor relationships.
📜 Legislative reform may reshape the future of pharmacy benefit management.
🔄 Alternative PBM models are gaining traction as cost containment solutions.
💡 Evaluating pharmacy vendors requires deeper scrutiny beyond surface-level pricing guarantees.
🧘♂️ Maintaining personal wellbeing is crucial in a high-pressure healthcare industry.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Pharmacy Benefit Management
03:02 Mark Mincy's Journey in Pharmacy Benefits
05:51 Understanding the Corruption in PBM Systems
08:40 The Role of Fiduciaries in Pharmacy Benefits
11:41 Challenges in the Current PBM Model
14:28 Legislative Recommendations for Pharmacy Benefits
17:15 Innovative Approaches at USRX Care
19:43 The Conflict of Interest in Pharmacy Benefits
22:01 Strategies for Managing Specialty Drug Costs
23:37 Taking Control of Pharmacy Benefits
25:50 The Impact of High-Deductible Health Plans
27:38 Future of Pharmacy Benefit Management
31:01 Evaluating Pharmacy Benefit Vendors
33:50 The Shift Towards Alternative PBMs
37:36 Navigating Change in Pharmacy Benefits
38:28 Maintaining Personal Well-being in a Stressful Industry
42:16 Outro
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