Ashley Inman, a skilled business development and marketing professional, brings over a decade of experience in the tech and healthcare industries. As VP of Market Development at Truveris, she connects partner networks, benefits brokers, and self-funded employers with the right solutions to improve prescription drug pricing and contract transparency while driving vendor accountability.
Before Truveris, Ashley drove business growth in healthcare analytics, enterprise system consulting, competitive strategy spaces, and leading marketing and strategic client initiatives. With an MBA and undergraduate degree from Babson College, her academic background is rooted in entrepreneurship, management, and strategy. Ashley is based in New York City.
What is your background, and how did you get into this line of work?
As I’ve navigated my career across various roles in marketing, consulting, and business development, I’ve gravitated toward industries and teams where I can maximize contribution and impact both personally and vocationally. With so much inefficiency and costs in the healthcare space, it’s a natural fit for someone who loves to take a mission-driven approach to solving important issues while creating winning growth strategies. I also care a lot about people, so it’s important to me to be in a collaborative role working with like-minded people who are equally as passionate about using our unique skills and contributions to improve the lives of others by driving value and innovation in the space.
What are your leadership principles?
My leadership principles center on competition, teamwork, and a collective purpose. I thrive on data and results, channeling that energy to mobilize teams towards shared objectives. I care about authenticity and believe emotional intelligence is fundamental to building high-performing teams. Ultimately, my focus is on driving value for communities and utilizing my skills to make a meaningful impact. I try to lead by example, inspiring others to learn, grow, and challenge themselves, and the industry to build something great and make a difference.
Why are you passionate about BAN? What value has it brought you/your business?
We’ve long admired BAN and its member organizations, so to have the opportunity to join as an exclusive industry partner is a true honor. BAN and Truveris share a common purpose of using innovation to solve the most challenging issues facing the benefits community. We’re a recent member of the BAN network, yet we’re already busy meeting many agency members and forging new relationships. We’re excited to collaborate and partner with their clients’ pharmacy contracting needs.
Where do you see the industry headed for the balance of 2023 and 2024?
Truveris is exclusively focused on pharmacy, specifically PBM management and cost containment. We expect the trends in pharmacy that have received a lot of attention in 2023 will carry into 2024 with even greater significance. The role of specialty medications will continue to rise, fueled by the likes of biosimilars, gene therapies, and GLP-1s (diabetes drugs used for weight management). With a consistent rise in employer and member costs, the calls for transparency, regulation, and disruption in the supply chain will grow louder, especially entering an election year. PBM oversight and reform are key legislative agenda items receiving bipartisan support in Congress. Beginning January 1, 2024, the Medicaid AMP (average manufacturer price) cap will be removed as outlined in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This will have sweeping impacts on drug manufacturers and PBMs seeking to preserve their profitability and will ultimately affect plan sponsors and their pharmacy contracts.
What are the industry’s biggest challenges?
We think of challenges through the eyes of our clients – i.e. the benefits agencies and the plan sponsors. The most obvious challenge facing the industry is rapidly rising pharmacy costs for plan sponsors, driven by the trends we mentioned before. Almost every employer sees this as a major issue, but they feel helpless to do anything about it. The root cause stems from a pervasive lack of transparency in pharmacy. The complexity and opacity of pharmacy contracts leave employers in the dark and lacking control over their own programs. The best thing that agencies and employers can do is not be complacent about it. There are things that can be done, and pharmacy is one of the only benefits that can be proactively negotiated to reduce costs.
How can you help BAN members address these challenges?
Partnering with agencies to support their clients is a real source of pride for us. As an objective third party, we can empower BAN members and their employer clients by giving them visibility and control of their pharmacy programs. We’ve built a tech platform for PBM procurement and oversight that creates pricing transparency and drives competition to reduce costs for employers. The technology replaces the traditional models of using spreadsheets or waiting to get renewal offers. On average, we can generate deal improvements of 20% against their current spend. We also readjudicate 100% of the claims against the contract terms throughout the life of the contract, so that both the employee benefits producer and the employer know if they’re getting everything that’s been outlined in the contract. Very often, we find errors or variances that result in a shortfall for the employer. Having that information gives them full visibility and allows them to reclaim those dollars and put them to use someplace else. It also helps them sleep at night, knowing that they’re holding their PBM accountable to all the terms in their contract.
Ashley can be reached at ainman@truveris.com.