AI, Payment Policy Top the Agenda at AMCP Nexus 2026: Susan Cantrell

Ahead of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus 2026 meeting, taking place October 26-29 in San Diego, California, AMCP CEO Susan Cantrell previewed this year’s hot topics and what she hopes attendees will take away.

Cantrell explained that the meeting brings together managed care pharmacy professionals and stakeholders from across the health care ecosystem to discuss issues shaping the future of both managed care pharmacy and patient care. Sessions will address various topics, including health care affordability, emerging therapies, evolving policy, and artificial intelligence (AI).

What excites her most this year, she said, is the focus on practical solutions that attendees can bring back to their organizations and put to work right away, while also helping define the future of managed care pharmacy. Cantrell also emphasized that conferences like AMCP Nexus are where attendees share best practices, develop solutions, and build networks that support them throughout their careers.

Cantrell identified AI and payment policy, in particular, as the meeting’s 2 hottest topics. Discussions on AI will focus on how managed care pharmacy can use the technology to improve patient outcomes and work productivity, address challenges patients face, and reduce member friction. A central question, she said, is which use cases will allow AI to be adopted safely and effectively. The meeting will also feature a debate weighing AI’s benefits against its potential pitfalls and safety concerns.

On payment policy, Cantrell pointed to the many changes implemented by the Trump administration this year. To that end, sessions will examine TrumpRx, Most Favored Nation pricing models, and the recently launched Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program, among other policies.

“There’s really a lot to address here, and I think we’re going to cover it from start to finish at Nexus and talk about how we manage this in today’s environment and also how we keep up with it, because it is a rapidly changing environment,” she concluded.