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Aetna, Signify Health and now Oak Street Health. Some see advantages to CVS acquiring a primary care provider — for U.S. healthcare as well as CVS. Others see risks of even more consolidation in the healthcare sector and perhaps a financial hit to CVS because of Oak Street’s net losses.

In this month’s episode of the "What's On Your Mind podcast," Peter Wehrwein, managing editor of MHE connects with the now Chief Clinical Officer of OptumRx Integrated Pharmacies, David Calabrese. In this conversation, David touches on his transition in January as OptumRx’s former chief pharmacy officer and market president of health plans and PBMs to his new role as Chief Clinical Officer where he now focuses more on things such as specialty pharmacy to home delivery — with an overall goal of creating whole-patient care. Throughout the conversation, Calabrese also touched on the market’s hot topic of insulin prices and behavioral health services within the OptumRx community, among other topics.

Briana Contreras, an editor with Managed Healthcare Executive, had a chat with Clay Wilemon, CEO of 4L Data Intelligence, in this month’s episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite. The discussion was on the subject of fraud, waste, and abuse within the healthcare industry and how much of it stems from issues like overpayment. Clay addressed how the adoption of artificial intelligence can help combat fraud, waste and abuse and shared how much the industry can save by using AI.

FDA approvals this week include: novel treatment for invasive candidiasis, an accelerated approval to Zynyz for Merkel cell carcinoma, the high-concentration Humira biosimilar Hyrimoz, and extension of Evkeeza’s indication to include young children. The agency also issued two complete responses this week: for Incyte’s extended-release Jakafi and for AbbVie’s Parkinson’s therapy.

Jane F. Barlow, MD, MPH, MBA, chief clinical officer of Real Endpoints led a presentation at the annual AMCP meeting that can help align payers and their manufactures for success in value-based contracting. In this interview Barlow gives some insight on where we are now with value-based contracting compared to a few years ago and if it's gained some traction or if there are challenges that remain. She also touched what therapies are prime candidates for value-based contracting.