Unscripted - The AMCP Podcast

Today on Unscripted, guest host Denise Wolff, PharmD, CEO & Founder of Denise & Co., LLC, welcomes Zachary Contreras, PharmD, RPh, Director of Pharmacy Benefits, Sharp Health Plan, for a discussion on idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), a chronic neurological sleep disorder that remains widely underrecognized despite its profound impact on patients’ lives. Together, they explore the challenges of...

Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer remains one of the most challenging settings in oncology, with limited treatment options and historically poor outcomes for many patients. In this episode of Unscripted, the AMCP Podcast, guest host Abby Kim, PharmD, BCOP, Senior Director of Clinical Strategy and Oncology Specialty Solutions at Prime Therapeutics, sits down with Kathleen Moore, MD, Deputy Director...

In this episode of Unscripted – The AMCP Podcast, guest host Steve Kheloussi, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP, principal consultant at Kheloussi Consulting, speaks with Amy Lugo, PharmD, BCPS, BC-ADM, FAPhA, FAMCP, founder and CEO of LoneStar Health Solutions, about the evolving treatment landscape for narcolepsy. The discussion explores the burden of delayed diagnosis, the real-world impact of excessive dayti...

In today’s episode, guest host Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, CPEL, Vice President of Pharmacy at Emory University and Emory Health Plan, Winship Cancer Institute, discusses the real-world impact of non-medical switching in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) with Timothy Mok, Manager of Clinical Utilization Intelligence at Kaiser Permanente and board-certifi...

In this episode of Unscripted, guest host Steve Kheloussi, Principal Consultant with Kheloussi Consulting, sits down with Dr. John Fox, Senior Medical Director for the Americas at Illumina, to untangle the complexities of clinical utility. Drawing on his experience as a pediatrician and former health plan medical director, Dr. Fox explains why defining clinical utility remains a challenge for the...

What’s driving vaccine hesitancy—and what’s actually true? In this episode of Unscripted, the AMCP Podcast, guest host Steve Kheloussi, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP speaks with Ria Westergaard, Head of Commercial Strategy Intelligence Solutions at Evernorth Health Services, and Rekha Lakshmanan, Executive Director of The Immunization Partnership, about the growing tension between science, policy, and public...

What happens when a diagnosis is delayed—not because symptoms aren’t there, but because they don’t fit expectations? In this episode of Unscripted, guest host Steve Kheloussi, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP, speaks with Blair and Dallas Burleson about delayed MS diagnosis, the realities of living with an unpredictable disease, and the impact on caregivers. The conversation also examines where managed care can...

In this episode of Unscripted, the AMCP podcast, host Laura Bobolts, PharmD, BCOP, talks with Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy at Minnesota Oncology, about the rapidly shifting treatment landscape for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The discussion covers the transition toward oral fixed-duration frontline regimens, the latest 2026 NCCN guidelines, and the emerging role of MRD testi...

In this episode of Unscripted, the AMCP podcast, we talk with Jeffrey Dunn, PharmD, MBA, President and CEO of Cooperative Benefits Group, about the rapidly evolving treatment landscape for HER2-positive biliary tract cancer (BTC) and its implications for managed care. The discussion covers the importance of biomarker testing and molecular profiling in guiding targeted therapy, key NCCN guideline c...

In this episode, we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the AMCP Foundation. AMCP President Carly Rodriguez, PharmD, FAMCP joins guest host Jordan Bernard, AMCP Foundation/Pfizer Managed Care Intern and Rebecca Brown, AMCP Foundation/Pfizer Managed Care Intern to discuss how the Foundation’s internships and mentorship programs shape the future of managed care. We explore the transition from student...

In this last installment of our rare disease series, we speak with Angela Luong, PharmD, Senior Clinical Consultant at Pharmaceutical Strategies Group. Our discussion focuses on the burden of sickle cell disease, chronic pain management, limited treatment options, and the implications for managed care programs, including the use of data and care coordination to improve patient outcomes. This activ...

In this episode of Unscripted, we continue our rare disease series with a focus on hemophilia and the substantial clinical, financial, and psychosocial burdens it places on patients and families. We speak with Janna Evans, Director of Pharmacy Sales Support at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, who discusses how health plans manage high-cost therapies, balance individualized patient needs with a...

This episode continues AMCP’s rare disease series with an in-depth look at IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a progressive autoimmune kidney disease that often goes undiagnosed until advanced stages. We speak with Ami Gopalan, Senior Vice President of Strategic Content and Growth Optimization at Precision AQ. As a patient living with IgAN, Ami brings both a professional and personal perspective to the discu...

In this episode of Unscripted, we speak with Steve Kheloussi, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP, Principal Consultant at Kheloussi Consulting, LLC, in the first installment of our four-part series on rare diseases. We discuss a practical overview of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the current treatment landscape, and the evidence gaps that complicate payer decision-making. We also touch on the importance of w...

In this episode of Unscripted, AMCP explores vitiligo as a complex autoimmune disease with significant psychosocial and clinical implications. Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi, MD, FADD discusses the burden of delayed diagnosis, the societal and emotional challenges patients face, and the importance of early, individualized treatment. He outlines current therapeutic approaches—including topical agents, phototh...

In this episode of Unscripted, AMCP speaks with Sheena Crosby, PharmD, BCGP, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Pharmacist at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. Sheena breaks down the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG) updated guidelines for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, highlighting major shifts in treatment strategy, including the move toward earlier use of advanced therapies and u...

In this episode of Unscripted, we talk with Marty Acevedo, MS, RD, Patient Advocate and President & Board Chair of the Parkinson’s Association of San Diego. Marty shares her personal journey with Parkinson’s disease—from a delayed diagnosis to managing symptoms, treatment decisions, and the impact on daily life. She discusses the importance of individualized care, the essential role of caregiv...

In this episode of Unscripted, we speak with Dr. Kartik Kalra, Clinical Nephrologist at Geisinger Medical Center. We discuss IgA nephropathy and the newly released, comprehensive 2025 KDIGO guidelines. We explore what IgAN is, why diagnosis is often delayed, how it commonly presents, and the impact the disease can have over a patient’s lifetime. Dr. Kalra also discusses what prompted the latest gu...

Personalized medicine has moved from concept to proven science—but implementation lags behind. In this episode of Unscripted, Daryl Pritchard, Senior Vice President of Science Policy at the Personalized Medicine Coalition, discusses how precision medicine is transforming care and where critical gaps remain. He shares findings from recent studies showing how many patients are still lost along the t...

Precision medicine is reshaping oncology, yet gaps in testing, coverage, and care delivery still prevent many patients from receiving the right therapy at the right time. In this episode of Unscripted, AMCP’s Mitzi Wasik and Chief Science Officer Cate Lockhart discuss where fragmentation occurs across the health care system and why pharmacists, payers, providers, and pathologists all play a critic...

In this episode, we talk with Franck Rahaghi, MD, MHS, Executive Director of Cardiopulmonary Global Medical Affairs at United Therapeutics, about pulmonary hypertension in interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), a serious and often under-recognized condition at the intersection of two progressive diseases. We discuss the importance of early recognition, the role of multidisciplinary care, emerging tre...

In this episode, we talk with Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPA, MPH, Vice Chair of Clinical Trials and Innovation, Brigham & Women's Hospital Department of Dermatology. Dr. Mostaghimi discusses alopecia areata—an autoimmune disease that causes patchy or complete hair loss—its inflammatory basis, how severity is measured, and the profound psychosocial impacts on patients and families. He also reviews...

In this milestone episode of Unscripted, the AMCP Podcast, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP). Host Susan Cantrell, AMCP CEO, is joined by Laura Happe, PharmD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief of JMCP, and Pat Gleason, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, FAMCP, Assistant Vice President, Health Outcomes at Prime Therapeutics to reflect on the journal’s evolution fr...

In this episode, we talk with Aaron Crittenden, President of Rx Marketplace at GoodRx, about Community Link, a new program from GoodRx that empowers independent pharmacies through direct contracting, predictable pricing, and access to over 90 brand medication deals. Aaron explains how Community Link helps pharmacies stay competitive, provide affordable prescriptions for patients, and build more su...

In this episode of Unscripted, AMCP speaks with Dr. Harrison Nguyen, a double board-certified dermatologist and health economist, about the true scope of psoriasis. From overlooked symptoms and high-impact areas to the systemic nature of the disease, Dr. Nguyen explains why a personalized treatment strategy is essential. He also explores the economic case for early intervention and access to advan...