Earlier this month, MM+M hosted its annual Transform conference.

The conversations focused on the intersection of three key healthcare stakeholders: the patients, providers and payers. 

For those who were unable to attend the event in New York City, you can check out the editorial sessions on the MM+M YouTube channel and through the embedded links below.

Please note that each video enables closed captioning; for more information, click here.

Transforming Obesity Care in the US

In 2013, the American Medical Association declared obesity as a disease, yet it’s taken a decade for us to start seeing a societal shift where people living with this disease are taken seriously and can get the respect and care they need.

Decades ago, global healthcare company Novo Nordisk took a stand that obesity is a misunderstood disease, not a personal failing; it’s a matter of health. As a result of the power of science and its passion to drive meaningful change, Novo Nordisk has helped pave the way for better care for people living with obesity.

Hear Tejal Vishalpura’s insights on the company’s long-term commitment to ensuring obesity is viewed and treated as a serious chronic disease linked to comorbidities like heart disease and more.

Tejal, Anne McCaughan and Christine Szymanski will participate in an exclusive fireside chat with MM+M’s Marc Iskowitz where they will discuss the launch of Novo Nordisk’s latest obesity medication, the company’s innovative approach to raising awareness among medical professionals, people living with obesity, and all those who impact how obesity is viewed and treated, as well as its efforts to educate on the proper use of its medications.

• Tejal Vishalpura, SVP commercial strategy + marketing, Novo Nordisk
• Anne McCaughan, senior brand director, obesity, Novo Nordisk
• Christine Szymanski, obesity consumer lead, Novo Nordisk
• Moderator: Marc Iskowitz, editor-at-large, MM+M

Moving toward weight-loss equity

Some 42% of U.S. adults and 20% of children and adolescents are obese, according to the CDC. Yet Medicare and Medicaid are still bound by a 2003 law that considers weight loss a cosmetic issue. With commercial insurers usually following the lead of the public ones, the new GLP-1 obesity drugs remain largely out of reach for many patients. Now that science has gained a better understanding of obesity’s various metabolic implications and potential downstream health benefits – from cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes to liver disease and certain types of cancer – additional indications for these drugs could be on the way. What will it take for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to rethink this policy? 

• Chris Harris, SVP client strategy, health, Stella Rising
• Michael Kolber, partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
• Derek Asay, senior vice president, government strategy and federal accounts, Eli Lilly and Company
• Moderator: Jack O’Brien, digital editor, MM+M

All Signal and No Static: AI is Not Coming to Replace You

Many healthcare marketers have come to view AI as an existential threat to their livelihoods. The technologists starting to populate their offices – some with no health experience – likely amp the professional paranoia. What’s been lost amid the changing landscape is the fact that even AI’s biggest boosters view it merely as a supplementary tool, one that helps marketers perform their jobs more efficiently. This panel will discuss the promise of AI’s job-enhancing benefits and offer some real perspective on how your career can benefit and even prosper thanks to AI.

• Ramon Soto, SVP and chief marketing and communications officer, Northwell Health
• Ryan Younger, VP, head of marketing, Virtua Health
• Moderator: Steve Madden, director, Business Media, MM+M

A Practical Session: The Dos and Don’ts of AI in Health Marketing

Best practices in health marketing usually take years to develop. Given the speed with which AI has captured the industry’s imagination, however, there are already a host of success stories… and cautionary tales. Marketers on both sides of the equation will share their experiences working with AI, forging the most up-to-date set of dos/don’ts. 

• Ben Beckley, CEO, RevHealth
• Aaron Fuller, VP, product management, DeepIntent
• Tarak Shah, senior director, head of U.S. customer engagement, Ferring Pharmaceuticals
• Moderator: Lecia Bushak, senior reporter, MM+M

AI and Your Brand Marketing Team: New Roles, New Structure

Your AI team will almost certainly tap the experience of your strategists and brand people. It will also, in all likelihood, include individuals not before found on a health or wellness roster: prompt engineers, language model trainers, techno-ethicists and more. This panel will assess the changing makeup of pharma marketing teams, outlining the most essential roles and responsibilities.

• Byron Burke, cofounder and CEO, Lithero
• Megan Fabry, EVP, digital, Sound Healthcare Communications
• Adam Remiszewski, associate director, regulatory affairs, advertising and promotion, AbbVie
• Moderator: Alison Weissbrot, editor-in-chief, Campaign US

Making your omnichannel marketing essential to HCPs

It’s well documented that healthcare professionals, regardless of location or specialty, face severe demands on their professional time. As a result, it’s little surprise that engaging with marketing doesn’t rank at the top of their to-do lists. That’s why marketers need to rethink their omnichannel efforts so that they meet HCPs where they are – rather than where they used to be. This panel will share a wealth of information about HCP preferences and pain points, presenting best practices for marketers whose recent HCP programs have fallen short.

• Lea Wester, managing director, Addressable Health
• Brad Quasi, SVP, growth and client engagement, Calcium+Company
• George Griffith, EVP, omnichannel strategy, Relevate
• Moderator: Marc Iskowitz, editor-at-large, MM+M

Techno-empathy and the marketing mix

Technology has long been used to make patients’ lives more convenient, at least in theory. Most such efforts, however, have prized efficiency over empathy — which is why the industry’s shift toward using technology to forge more human connections has been received so warmly by marginalized audiences. This panel will highlight the programs and practices that have ushered in the era of techno-empathy. 

• Sanjeev Menon, head of partnerships, Ubie
• Jeff Davis, GM, Biopharma Ixlayer
• Dr. Jenny Yu, chief health officer, Healthline Media
• Alix Hart, chief marketing officer, Verily
• Moderator: Jack O’Brien, digital editor, MM+M

Customer experience and the payer

Recent research has revealed that all healthcare stakeholders have work to do when it comes to improving the customer experience (CX). This panel focuses on health plans’ efforts to “own” the member experience, the key tenets of that experience, and opportunities to revamp various touchpoints and channels that members use to interface with plans large and small.

• Risa Arin, founder and CEO, XpertPatient
• Geeta Wilson, CTO, Elevance Health
• Moderator: Marc Iskowitz, editor-at-large, MM+M

Copay cards: The many shades of pay

When a district court struck down a 2021 federal rule that barred copay discounts from counting toward patient out-of-pocket costs, the decision effectively barred insurers from applying copay accumulators for newer drug brands. Patient groups even fought off the government’s surprising appeal. But the industry can’t rest on its laurels. While accumulators may be dead, copay maximizers and alternative-funding programs aren’t affected by the decision. This panel will put the accumulator case in the perspective of the larger cat-and-mouse game being waged between patient advocates and insurers.

• Alisa Casavant, policy director, Arthritis Foundation
• Moderator: Lecia Bushak, senior reporter, MM+M