Mark Hiatt to discuss payer policy and patient access at Q1 medical device conferences

Schooner Strategies said its fractional chief medical officer, Mark Hiatt, will speak at four sessions at Q1 Productions medical device reimbursement conferences in Chicago and San Diego this month. The sessions will focus on how payers evaluate evidence, set medical policy and shape access for innovative devices.

Why it matters: - Medical device makers depend on payer decisions to win coverage and reach patients. - The conferences will focus on the evidence standards, policy rules and access barriers that can determine whether new technologies are reimbursed. - The discussions will also cover AI-enabled devices and health equity, two areas where coverage expectations are evolving.

What happened: - Schooner Strategies announced that its Fractional Chief Medical Officer, Mark Hiatt, MD, MBA, MS, will participate in four sessions at two Q1 Productions Medical Device Coverage & Reimbursement Conferences. - Hiatt will speak and moderate at the 22nd Semi-Annual Medical Device Coverage & Reimbursement Conference on July 15-16 in Chicago. - Hiatt will also take part in the 23rd Semi-Annual Medical Device Coverage & Reimbursement Conference on July 28-29 in San Diego. - The conferences bring together leaders in reimbursement, market access, health economics, health policy and payer policy.

The details: - In Chicago, Hiatt will join Adesubomi Agoro, MD, MBA, of HCSC, and Joseph Imperato, MD, formerly of Carelon, for the panel "Navigating the Payer Matrix: How Blues Plans and Their Benefits Managers Actually Make Medical Device Decisions." - Hiatt will also join Eugean Jiwanmall, MPH, MBA, lead research analyst for medical policy and technology evaluation at Independence Blue Cross, for the fireside chat "Inside Commercial Payer Medical Policy for Medical Devices: How Evidence Is Evaluated in an Era of Tightening Coverage Criteria." - The Chicago sessions will look at how health plans evaluate new medical technologies. - The Chicago sessions will also examine how medical policy, prior authorization and appeals shape coverage decisions. - The panels will discuss the clinical, real-world and economic evidence that influences those decisions. - The Chicago agenda will address manufacturer misconceptions about payer decision-making. - The Chicago sessions will also address the challenges AI-enabled devices pose for traditional evidence standards. - In San Diego, Hiatt and Jiwanmall will repeat their fireside discussion on commercial payer medical policy and evidence evaluation. - Hiatt will moderate "Reducing Health Disparities and Expanding Access: What It Means for Device Manufacturers & Health Plans" with Lisa Porter, director of health equity strategy at Humana. - The San Diego discussion will examine how health plans use coverage policy, benefit design and community initiatives to improve patient access. - The San Diego session will also explore how access gaps affect patient outcomes. - The San Diego discussion will look at how medical device companies can align evidence generation with payer priorities.

Between the lines: - Hiatt’s role points to a broader industry need for clearer translation between clinical evidence and payer decision-making. - The conference topics suggest that coverage access is no longer just a reimbursement issue; it is also a policy, equity and evidence-design issue. - Hiatt said medical device companies may have strong technologies and clinical data but limited visibility into how payer organizations will interpret that evidence. - Hiatt said the sessions are intended to make those processes more transparent and help innovators align evidence and market-access strategies with medical policy, coverage and patient access. - Hiatt is a physician executive and cardiovascular radiologist with leadership experience in health plans, diagnostic imaging, medical affairs, market access and healthcare technology. - In his fractional executive role, Hiatt helps healthcare organizations align clinical evidence, payer strategy, commercialization and patient access.

What's next: - Hiatt will appear at the Chicago conference on July 15-16 and the San Diego conference on July 28-29. - Attendees will use the sessions to compare payer approaches and refine device access strategies ahead of future coverage decisions.

The bottom line: - The sessions put payer evidence standards and patient access front and center for device companies trying to navigate tougher coverage rules.