Conference Preview: Healthcare Advocate Summit

This week, health care advocates are taking the Big Easy by storm: From September 5 to September 8, 2023, the Healthcare Advocate Summit will bring together patient advocates and industry stakeholders for 4 exciting days of sessions and education.

This year’s conference, held at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, features 3 attendee tracks: an Education Track, focused on education and health literacy; an Advocate Track, focused on independent patient and health care advocates; and an Industry Insights Track, focused on industry insights that advocates can take home to support their patients. The event will also include a one-day seminar on Wednesday, September 6 on Charitable Patient Assistance Programs (CPAP), which will provide a complete overview of CPAP programs as well as best practices for assisting patients with medication copays, insurance premiums, and other health care costs.

Sessions to Watch For

The Drug Topics team is on-site in New Orleans, Louisiana, for this year’s Healthcare Advocate Summit (HAS).

This afternoon, Safiya Tisdell, vice president, Adparo Services at Annexus Health will take the stage to provide a comprehensive overview of the numerous patient financial assistance options that are available to support patients throughout the course of their cancer treatment journey. Tisdell will also cover the additional types of assistance that are available to help alleviate the financial burden of these life-saving treatments. Check back later this week for our exclusive interview with Tisdell, live from New Orleans.

Wednesday, September 6 is a jam-packed day of education, with sessions covering everything from polypharmacy in older adults to the ways that social determinants of health impact patient care.

In a session titled “Breaking Barriers: A Conscious Approach to Implicit Bias in Health Care,” Malynnda Johnson, BCPA, an associate professor at Indiana State University, will discuss the communication and physiological research that has provided crucial insights into our perceptions, impression management, and implicit bias.

Saley Traore-Uwalaka, Senior Fellow at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Amanda Fringer, CPhT, Medication Access Technician at Carroll Hospital Center, Lifebridge Health, in Westminster, Maryland, will discuss outcomes of a pharmacist-led transitions of care program implemented around brand medications.

Speakers David Griffiths, vice president of development, at Accessia Health; Jennifer Noonan, senior director of clinical programs and compliance at Accessia Health; and Briana Odwyer, implementation manager at MedicoCx, round out the day with a panel discussion titled “The Patient Behind the Prescription: Unveiling the Gaps in Resources from a Patient and Provider Perspective.” During the hour-long discussion, these panelists will share their perspectives on the holistic approach that can be used to improve the patient journey, especially for those living with rare or chronic conditions.

Networking Events

Attendees can also attend a variety of networking events, from happy hours to an opening night reception party, sponsored by the National Association of Medication Access and Patient Advocacy.

For more on the Healthcare Advocate Summit, check out our full conference coverage here.