Frier Levitt and the Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) co-hosted their inaugural Direct-to-Employer (D2E) Conference at the World Trade Center, bringing together an audience of employers, healthcare providers, conveners, benefits advisors, and industry innovators united by a common goal: reshaping how healthcare is purchased, delivered, and experienced.
Frier Levitt Co-Founding Partner Daniel Frier opened the conference alongside NEBGH CEO Kim Thiboldeaux, framing the current D2E landscape and setting the tone for a day of practitioner-driven dialogue that brought together the key players driving the shift toward direct contracting: employers seeking value, providers ready to partner, and the innovators building the infrastructure to make these relationships work.
Panel 1 — Employer and Convener Perspectives: Lessons from the Field
Moderated by Arielle Miliambro, Panelists included: Dane Guarino (Handpicked Health), Clint Flanagan, M.D. (KerixHealth), Claire Brockbank (32BJ Health Fund), Erik Davis (USI Insurance Services). This session brought together leaders from self-funded employers and conveners to discuss why they pursued direct contracting models, the measurable benefits realized, and the challenges encountered integrating with TPAs and legacy benefit design, including insights from launching direct care offerings and the operational levers that drive sustained adoption and outcomes.
Panel 2 — Specialty Care in Focus
Moderated by Daniel Frier, panelists included: Jack Feltz, M.D. (Lifeline Medical Associates), Doug Geinzer (High Performance Companies), Edward J. Licitra, M.D., PhD (Astera Cancer Care), Ted Okon (Community Oncology Alliance), and Krista Stock, MHA (U.S. Women’s Health Alliance). This session examined how specialty networks are being structured with consistent quality benchmarks, predictable pricing, and bundled payment models and what employers need to know about data requirements, bundle design, and referral strategies.
Panel 3 — Pharmacy Strategy: Direct-to-Employer Networks, Bypassing the PBM, and the Role of Pharma
Moderated by Jesse Dresser, panelists included: Mark Cuban (Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company), Lisa Mostovoy, Pharm.D, MBA (Onsera Health), Ryan Baker (Premise Health), Jonathan Levitt (Frier Levitt), who discussed the emergence of direct pharmacy contracting models, onsite pharmacy services, cost-plus contracting, and the impact of programs like 340B on D2E arrangements.
Panel 4 — Evaluating Relationships with PBMs: Transparency, Fiduciary Risk, and Troubleshooting
Moderated by Matthew Modafferi, this closing panel featuring Jonathan Levitt (Frier Levitt), Neil Gilchrist, Pharm.D, MBA, FACHE, FMSHP (Beth Israel Lahey Health Pharmacy), and Antonio Ciaccia (3 Axis Advisors / 46brooklyn Research) provided a practical framework for auditing PBM relationships, understanding fiduciary exposure, and negotiating for greater transparency.
Following the panels, attendees gathered for roundtables and open networking, continuing the conversations in a more intimate setting.
The conference reflected Frier Levitt’s deep commitment to advancing the D2E space, not just as legal counsel, but as a convener of the employers, providers, and innovators driving this transformation. We look forward to building on the momentum of this inaugural event.
To learn more about how Frier Levitt can support your D2E strategy, visit frierlevitt.com.
