Oregon Health Forum explores this timely issue at its breakfast forum on November 2.

High-cost specialty drugs have begun outpacing hospital expenditures, and public officials, lawmakers and consumer advocates are hard at work trying to figure out how to get a handle on this growing problem. On November 2, Oregon Health Forum brings this issue to the forefront, with representatives from the insurance industry, pharmacists and lawmakers participating in our panel discussion. This is an event you definitely won’t want to miss! Registration is open. Currently, CareOregon has agreed to sponsor the event. We’re looking for co-sponsors interested in bringing this issue to the forefront. This event, which will be held at the Multnomah Athletic Club, gets underway with breakfast at 7 a.m. followed by a panel discussion from 7:30-9 a.m. We’ve already assembled an expert panel that includes:

  • Annaliese Dolph, patient advocate, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • Ryan Dunlap, CFO Molecular MD and board chair of the Oregon Bioscience Association
  • Robert Judge, director of pharmaceutical services for Moda Health
  • Deborah Michaelson, a pharmacist who’s vice president of operations at Ardon Health and previously worked for Providence Health & Services
  • Rep. Rob Nosse (D-Portland), who has convened a work group to tackle prescription drug prices, has agreed to participate. Nosse plans to draft legislation on controlling pharmaceutical costs for the 2017 legislative session.

Jesse Ellis O’Brien, policy director for OSPIRG, will be our moderator. Oregon Health Forum is the educational arm of The Lund Report and collaborates with other nonprofit organizations to sponsor its monthly breakfast forums. Diane can be reached at diane@thelundreport.org