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Key Points:  

• Rising complexity in specialty therapies and increasing cost pressures are intensifying the need for greater collaboration across manufacturers, providers, payers and distributors to sustain patient access. 

• Stronger connectivity and earlier alignment across stakeholders are helping the healthcare ecosystem adapt to policy shifts, operational uncertainty and evolving site鈥憃f鈥慶are dynamics while elevating specialty distribution into a more strategic role. 

• Reimbursement challenges remain a significant barrier to patient access, particularly for high鈥慶ost therapies, highlighting the need for more predictable, transparent and collaborative payment approaches. 

Thousands of industry leaders recently met in Las Vegas for Asembia’s AXS26 Summit, one of the premier events in the specialty pharmaceutical industry. The summit brought together leaders from across healthcare to connect, share perspectives and discuss what’s next for specialty pharmacy, prescription access and patient care. 

This year’s summit took place amid mounting challenges across the specialty pharmaceutical landscape. As therapies become more complex and costs continue to rise, pressure to deliver predictable, sustainable patient access is increasing. Across the healthcare ecosystem, stakeholders are navigating reimbursement uncertainty, policy shifts and operational strain, challenges that are driving the need for greater collaboration. 

Two McKesson鈥憀ed panel discussions explored how industry leaders are responding to the current healthcare environment. Moving beyond high鈥憀evel discussion, panelists shared practical perspectives on collaboration, connectivity and innovation — and how greater alignment across the ecosystem may support patient access amid growing complexity.

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Collaboration and Innovation in an Evolving Healthcare Ecosystem

Breaking Through Reimbursement Complexity to Enable Patient Access

Collaboration and Innovation in an Evolving Healthcare Ecosystem 

What’s changing in specialty medicine? 
As specialty medicine evolves, traditional boundaries between manufacturers, distributors, providers and payers continue to blur. Supply chains are no longer defined solely by scale or speed, but by their ability to connect stakeholders, manage volatility and support patient access in an increasingly complex environment. 

Moderated by Natalie Bedford, senior vice president, Brand Sourcing & Manufacturer Relations at McKesson, the panel featured Steven Madreperla, M.D., Ph.D., president & CEO of PRISM Vision Group; Brian McCartney, vice president of Strategic Innovation & Policy at McKesson; Natalie Morris, director of Public Policy and Reimbursement at Takeda; and Ray Tancredi, RPh, MBA, CSP, executive vice president of Trade Relations at Asembia.

“This panel explored how stakeholders across healthcare are partnering to meet a moment of rapid change,” said Natalie Bedford, senior vice president, Brand Sourcing & Manufacturer Relations at McKesson. “As reimbursement pressures, policy shifts and operational demands intensify, those partnerships are becoming even more critical to advancing patient care. The discussion highlighted how collaboration can drive innovation, improve adaptability and open new opportunities for the future.”

Why does connectivity matter? 
A key takeaway from the discussion was that connectivity enables resilience. When organizations engage earlier and share insights across functions, they are better positioned to adapt to rapid policy change, operational uncertainty and shifting site鈥憃f鈥慶are dynamics. This evolution elevates specialty distribution from transactional support to strategic partnership. "Cross-industry partnerships today are really about enabling physicians to stay focused on patient care while building sustainable, resilient practices,” said Steven Madreperla, M.D., Ph.D., president & CEO of PRISM Vision Group.

What enables progress today? 
The panel also underscored that innovation does not always require new infrastructure or technology. In many cases, progress depends on stronger relationships, clearer communication and better integration across existing systems. As complexity accelerates across pricing reform, 340B dynamics and distribution strategy, collaborative approaches will be essential to sustaining patient access and long鈥憈erm ecosystem stability.

“Long-term, the partnerships that will protect access best are the ones grounded in transparency and shared problem-solving—where information flows freely and decisions are made with an understanding of how changes may impact the healthcare ecosystem,” said Brian McCartney, vice president, Strategic Innovation & Policy at McKesson.

Breaking Through Reimbursement Complexity to Enable Patient Access 

Why is reimbursement still a barrier to access? 
Reimbursement remains one of the most significant challenges to patient access, particularly for high鈥慶ost, advanced treatments such as cell and gene therapies. While confidence in their clinical effectiveness continues to grow, payment models have struggled to keep pace with their one鈥憈ime, high鈥慽mpact nature. 

Moderated by Joe DePinto, head of Cell, Gene and Advanced Therapies at McKesson, a second panel explored why reimbursement complexity persists and what it will take to move forward. The panel featured Navneet Majhail, M.D., physician-in-chief of blood cancers at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network; Michael Evans, chief pharmacy officer at Geisinger; and Will Shrank, co-founder and CEO of Aradigm. They emphasized that the issue is not a lack of innovation, but system misalignment. High upfront costs strain budgets built for recurring spend, while long-term durability data gaps and fragmented care coordination complicate value assessment and risk management.

What’s required to make progress? 

The discussion highlighted the importance of predictability and cross-stakeholder collaboration. Without clearer and more consistent reimbursement pathways, providers and payers face significant financial uncertainty, delaying adoption and limiting access even when therapies are clinically compelling.

“We’re seeing encouraging signs of progress, including more efficient prior authorization timeframes, but this remains a team sport,” said Joe DePinto, head of Cell, Gene and Advanced Therapies at McKesson. “Providers, payers, manufacturers and partners all have a role to play in removing barriers, supporting the reimbursement journey and creating a stronger path to patient access.”

A Shared Path Forward 

What did AXS26 reinforce? 
Across both discussions, a consistent theme emerged: collaboration is no longer optional. As specialty medicine becomes more complex, advancing patient access will depend on how effectively stakeholders connect, share responsibility and adapt together. 

AXS26 reinforced that progress will not be driven by any single participant. It will be shaped by collective action and leaders committed to navigating complexity in service of patients. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed herein reflect summaries of panel discussions and individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective organizations. Quotes are subject to speaker approval.