Every year, Abarca Forward convenes the brightest minds in healthcare—not just to talk about the future, but to make it happen. What starts in the room doesn’t stay there. It ripples outward—shaping strategy, influencing policy, forging partnerships, and accelerating innovations that are redefining pharmacy benefit management and the patient experience.
Now in its fifth year, Abarca Forward has become a proving ground for ideas that deliver real transformation. Each edition builds on the last, turning bold conversations into tangible outcomes—from early explorations of AI-powered operations and value-based care to collaborative pilots that have reimagined utilization management, digital pharmacy, and patient engagement.
The event’s true impact lies in its ability to bridge insight and implementation—bringing together policymakers, payers, providers, and innovators to translate vision into measurable change. Here are some highlights and lessons that have been turned into action from the first four editions of Abarca Forward.
From Intelligence to Action: Shaping PBM’s Tech Future
Abarca Forward is where innovation in PBM technology moves from vision to action. Long before “artificial intelligence” became a buzzword, Forward was spotlighting how smarter tools and bold ideas could simplify workflows, empower providers, and enhance member experiences.
Approaches Discussed at Abarca Forward
- Workflow automation: Reducing administrative friction through AI-driven coding and predictive logic.
- Real-time benefit visibility: Providing providers and members instant access to coverage details at the point of care.
- Prior authorization reform: Leveraging machine learning and data interoperability to move approvals from days to seconds.
- Human-centered design: Building digital tools that serve real people—patients, pharmacists, and providers—without losing the human touch.
Why It Matters
Progress isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about creating meaningful change. As MedCity News showcased, these ideas have moved from conversation to implementation—turning AI and automation into operational reality across PBM administration.
This discussion has real-world impact. Imagine a provider initiating a prescription and instantly seeing coverage rules in real time. What once took days now takes seconds, enhancing outcomes, adherence, and trust.
Addressing the GLP-1 Challenge
GLP-1 medications continue to dominate healthcare discussions. But at Abarca Forward, the dialogue moves beyond headlines—to focus on responsible access, clinical alignment, and measurable outcomes.
Approaches Discussed at Abarca Forward
- Clinical alignment: Evidence-based prescribing criteria integrated into real-time benefit tools.
- Outcomes tracking: Linking coverage to measurable results—A1C reduction, weight-loss targets, persistence rates—to ensure true value.
- Affordability tools: Step-through therapy, duration checkpoints, and benefit designs that balance access and cost.
- Pharmacy as a touchpoint: Leveraging pharmacists for education, expectation setting, and digital nudges to reinforce adherence.
Why It Matters
GLP-1 management isn’t just about utilization—it’s about responsible innovation. By combining clinical rigor with human engagement, payers and providers can deliver breakthrough therapies more sustainably while ensuring members receive the right care, at the right time, for the right reasons.
Pharmacy’s Expanding Role
Pharmacies have become the front line of the consumer experience revolution. As Abarca President & COO Adriana Ramírez noted in a recent interview, members visit pharmacies far more often than their doctors—turning every visit into an opportunity to improve access, adherence, and outcomes.
Approaches Discussed at Abarca Forward
- Expanded scope: Pharmacists now deliver vaccines, support chronic care, and close gaps in care through proactive outreach. Digital-first convenience: Telepharmacy, same-day delivery, and AI-driven adherence tools simplify the journey.
- Digital-first convenience: Telepharmacy, same-day delivery, and AI-driven adherence tools simplify the journey.
- Generation-aware engagement: Gen Z and Millennials expect seamless digital access. Adults with chronic conditions need intelligent tools and transparency. Meanwhile, older adults value trust and communication, supported by pharmacist guidance.
- Rural reach: Telehealth and mobile pharmacy services extend care where it’s needed most.
Why It Matters
Pharmacies are no longer the “last mile” of care—they’re the first impression. With the rapid growth of digital health platforms, PBMs can partner to elevate pharmacy from a transactional model to an engagement hub, improving adherence by 3% and delivering an ROI of up to 1.77× through predictive analytics and human intervention.
Radical Transparency and Smarter Tools
Transparency consistently rises to the top of the Abarca Forward agenda. From pricing and data exchange to PA reform, one truth is clear: healthcare can’t transform without trust.
Approaches Discussed at Abarca Forward
- Transparent pricing: Eliminating guesswork for members and providers through real-time cost visibility.
- Data interoperability: FHIR APIs and AI-powered tools that connect payers, PBMs, and EMRs in real time.
- Simplified prior authorization: Automated, criteria-based approvals that accelerate access to care.
- Accountability through analytics: Dashboards and insights that measure outcomes and reinforce value.
Why It Matters
Transparency isn’t aspirational—it’s foundational. It enables smarter decisions, fewer coverage surprises, and faster therapy initiation. It transforms fragmented systems into connected care networks that patients, providers, and payers can finally trust.
From Stage to Strategy: Turning Insights Into Action
What begins on the Abarca Forward stage doesn’t end there—it evolves into pilots, partnerships, and policy influence. Over five years, Forward ideas have become industry standards—from biosimilar adoption to virtual PBM frameworks to human-centered AI.
Approaches Discussed at Abarca Forward
- Virtual PBM innovation: Building modular, tech-enabled systems that integrate seamlessly with care delivery.
- Biosimilar adoption: Designing benefit structures that accelerate access and affordability.
- AI-powered operations: Applying NLP and RPA to streamline claims, PA, and formulary management.
- Collaborative reform: Engaging regulators, payers, and tech leaders in shared transformation goals.
Why It Matters
Every Forward session becomes a catalyst for real-world change. From shaping participants’ product pipeline to inspiring industry pilots and regulatory dialogue, the event drives a singular mission: to reimagine pharmacy for a future that’s seamless, transparent, and human.
Abarca Forward’s Legacy—and Its Promise
Abarca Forward has shown that the boldest ideas don’t stay on stage—they become the new standard for how PBM serves patients, providers, and payers.
The proof is in the action: pilots launched, partnerships built, and care models reimagined. That’s the power of Abarca Forward—and the promise we’ll continue to build on as we head into 2026: The Better PAth.
Join the waitlist for Abarca Forward 2026 here!
About Abarca
At Abarca, we believe in an Unstoppable Drive for a Better Way. Our commitment to making healthcare seamless and personalized drives us to innovate across AI, specialty pharmacy, and predictive analytics. By transforming challenges into opportunities, we deliver PBM like no one else—combining bold technology with human-centered care to make healthcare better for everyone.