Unscripted – The AMCP Podcast

In this episode of Unscripted, Steve Kheloussi, Principal Consultant with Kheloussi Consulting, speaks with Rachel Ungar, Director of Research and Data Analytics at the Economic Alliance for Michigan, about bringing employers, health plans, providers, and patient advocates together to improve access to evidence-based precision oncology care. They discuss biomarker testing, payer coverage policies, the importance of aligning testing and treatment decisions, and practical steps health plans can take to reduce barriers while supporting high-quality, cost-effective cancer care.

In this episode of Unscripted, guest host Steve Kheloussi, PharmD, MBA, FAMCP, welcomes returning guest Dr. Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPA, MPH, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and Vice Chair of Clinical Trials and Innovation and Director of the Dermatology Inpatient Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to discuss the rapidly evolving treatment landscape for alopecia areata. Once a condition with no FDA-approved therapies, alopecia areata now has three approved JAK inhibitors—with a fourth potentially on the horizon—and new clinical guidelines that may reshape how disease severity is defined and treated. Dr. Mostaghimi explains why traditional measures such as SALT scores may not fully capture the burden of disease, how the new AASC framework incorporates psychosocial impact, and what these changes could mean for coverage decisions, step therapy requirements, and formulary management. Sponsored by AbbVie, Inc.

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted podcast, host Steve Kheloussi, PharmD, principal consultant with Kheloussi Consulting and a managed care pharmacist, is joined by Tianyi Wang, consultant at Omnicom Health Market Access, and Irvin Molina, PharmD, BCOP, director of clinical pharmacy at IPD Analytics and a board-certified oncology pharmacist, to explore how National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines influence payer policy and patient access in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted podcast, Dr. Ryan Haumschild, Vice President of Pharmacy at Emory, is joined by Dr. Naveen Pemmaraju, Professor of Leukemia and founding director of the BPDCN program at MD Anderson, to discuss blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), an ultra-rare and aggressive blood cancer. They examine the recent FDA approval of pivekimab sunirine-pvzy (PVEK), a CD123-directed antibody-drug conjugate, and results from the CADENZA trial in both treatment-naive and relapsed or refractory patients. The conversation explores where PVEK may fit within the evolving BPDCN treatment landscape, its safety and outpatient administration, and the role of targeted therapies in helping eligible patients reach stem cell transplant. Sponsored by Abbvie.

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted podcast, host Amy Lugo, PharmD, BCPS, BC-ADM, FAPhA, FAMCP, Founder and CEO of LoneStar Health Solutions, is joined by Dr. Joshua Lennon, Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, to discuss the unique challenges of diagnosing and treating narcolepsy in children. They explore why pediatric narcolepsy is frequently misdiagnosed, the significant delays many patients experience before receiving an accurate diagnosis, and the impact untreated symptoms can have on learning, social development, and long-term health. The conversation also examines current FDA-approved treatment options, promising advances in orexin-targeted therapies, and the important role managed care professionals play in improving timely access to evidence-based care for children living with narcolepsy.

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted podcast, 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 diagnosing IH, including a diagnostic delay that can exceed a decade, the significant burden the condition places on work, relationships, education, and overall quality of life, and the reasons many patients remain invisible within healthcare systems. The episode highlights practical steps health plans can take today to reduce barriers to care, improve long-term outcomes, and help patients with idiopathic hypersomnia receive the diagnosis and treatment they need sooner. Sponsored by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted podcast, 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 of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nebraska Medicine, to discuss the evolving treatment landscape for recurrent ovarian cancer and the growing role of biomarker-driven care. Dr. Moore explores the history and challenges of treating platinum-resistant disease, reviews the clinical evidence behind ELAHERE® (mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx), examines the importance of folate receptor alpha testing, and shares insights on treatment sequencing, patient-reported outcomes, safety and tolerability considerations, and emerging therapies that may further expand options for patients and inform decision-making across managed care. Sponsored by Abbvie, Inc.

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted 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 daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, and how treatment may shift from symptom management toward addressing the underlying disease process. Steve and Amy also examine formulary considerations, patient-reported outcomes, utilization management challenges, and how managed care organizations can balance access, value, and patient-centered care as new therapies enter the market. This activity is supported by an independent medical education grant from Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. AMCP offers CPE for this podcast through June 30, 2027.

In this episode of the AMCP Unscripted podcast, 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-certified oncology pharmacist, focusing on the drivers behind switching, the risks of disrupting effective therapy, and how shared decision-making and dose modification can help maintain adherence and improve patient outcomes. Sponsored by Abbvie. 

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 industry and explores its critical role in precision medicine. From ending the "diagnostic odyssey" in pediatric rare diseases to the life-saving impact of large-panel biomarker testing in oncology, they discuss how the true value of a test lies in its power to change patient management and improve net health outcomes.

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 perception. From misinformation and social media to access gaps and real-world data, they unpack what’s really shaping vaccination decisions today—and where managed care can help rebuild trust and improve outcomes.

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 better support patients—through more flexible, individualized access to treatment and a clearer understanding of real-world patient needs.