Our 2022 Annual Meeting is six weeks away! Our keynote speaker Dr. Jeffrey Bauer will present the challenges and opportunities in pharmacy benefits that are contributing to the uncertain future of health care and break down the key forces shaping the evolution of the medical marketplace and pharma industry on May 11, 2022.
We reached out to Dr. Bauer and were able to obtain an exclusive sneak peek of what you can expect during his presentation!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a big-picture numbers guy who has applied training as a research meteorologist and medical economist for 50 years as a health futurist. I think I have the best long-term record among health futurists, batting about .700 in baseball terms, but my crystal ball has never been murkier. Given all the unprecedented changes taking place today, I spend an incredible amount of time just trying to stay confused about the transformation of the medical marketplace over the next five years. We’re all going to be challenged trying to choose between restoring pre-Covid operations or reinventing the health care system. The good news in my view is that the realm of possibilities for transformation has never been better or more exciting. There is no one-size fits all solution that will work in all marketplaces, but there are plenty of opportunities to bring new things to local marketplaces.
What inspired you to work in the health care industry?
Ironically, my entry into health care was totally unplanned. I developed extensive research and analytic skills as a nerd in the 1960s, working on the international team that developed the first large-scale predictive model of hailstorms. Thanks to being drafted, I had to leave research meteorology to work in a hospital for two years. The nun who ran the hospital concluded my skills would be valuable in health care, so she bent my arm (sort of like the “mission from God” in the movie The Blues Brothers) and convinced me to get a PhD in medical economics instead of atmospheric physics. The rest is history…and I’m glad it happened.
What intrigued you about being a keynote presenter at our Annual Meeting?
Thanks to remarkable advances in science and technology, the realm of possibilities for reinventing health care has never been greater. Speaking at the National CooperativeRx Annual Meeting will give me an opportunity to share thoughts about how to harness new business opportunities for improving efficiency and effectiveness in medical care delivery. I’m particularly pleased to be speaking to an audience focused on pharmacy because I believe that pharmaceutical science is poised to contribute at least as much as any other force in health care to a better overall future. Success is not guaranteed, but I’ll show how and why I believe pharma can play a leading role.
What is the big takeaway people can expect if they attend your presentation?
The big takeaway is probably that the medical marketplace is diversifying at an unprecedented rate. Health care delivery, including management of pharmaceutic care, is going to go in many different directions. even within specific geographic markets. I’ll argue that success is not guaranteed, but it is possible for creative business partnerships (including next-generation pharmacy benefit managers) that harness the best aspects of local markets with good business practices.
What is the next social event you are planning to attend in Madison, Wis.?
I’ll be attending all three performances of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis by the Madison Symphony Orchestra in April. Why all three? Because I am a member of the Madison Symphony Chorus; I’ll be on stage with about 200 other musicians for each performance. Music has been a passion of mine since I was in high school: playing string bass in jazz groups, singing bass with numerous symphony orchestras, and playing viola da gamba in early music consorts.
We can’t wait to see you all at our Annual Meeting! If you haven’t had a chance yet, register today!
