Q: Where did you grow up?
Houston, TX
Q: Where did you go to college?
University of Houston
Q: What are your favorites?
Food: Breakfast Tacos
Movie: Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks or Contact with Jodie Foster
Musicians: The Lumineers, Chris Stapleton, Pink
Destination: So far – Vietnam/Cambodia
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to attend live music performances and cook.
Q: What kind of work does your company do in 340B and what makes it stand out?
Nucleus Group’s team delivers a full range of 340B consulting services and data technology solutions to accelerate implementation, enhance operations, and drive provider and patient engagement to increase savings. Our network of strategic partners allows us to be a true single source partner for industry leading services and solutions to launch a program or optimize an existing one. Our team and partners draw from over 25 years of 340B, Specialty Pharmacy and Data Technology experience which allows us to develop and build customized solutions with the client’s goals at the core of all that we do.
Q: Why did you choose to work in the 340B space?
I had the opportunity to be introduced to the 340B program working for a large retail pharmacy early in my career. I saw firsthand the benefit the program brought to safety net care providers and the support it allowed those providers to offer in their communities, from fresh vegetable programs in food deserts to enhanced services to drive optimal outcomes with transplant patients. When I saw what positive impact the program can have on people in the community, I knew I wanted it to be a focus of mine.
Q: What do you feel is your most significant contribution to the 340B world or to a 340B customer/client?
Personally, I have been a voice for the specialty pharmacy in the 340B market. I have been a big advocate for entities partnering closely with a small number of specialty pharmacies and working together to improve prescription program capture. In specialty, it is always important to remember to know who you are really partnering with. Is it an Independent Specialty Pharmacy with a high level of focus on provider and patient satisfaction or is it really a PBM or Health Plan that owns a pharmacy? Remembering to do that research is what will help you find a partner that is focused on the success of your program and not on the PBM’s bottom line. Where I have received the most positive feedback from entities has been when using data. I was able to assist them in measuring program clinical outcomes with their patients like prescription fulfillment turnaround time and medication possession ratios. Additionally, I aid in building a focused patient assistance program that addresses patients being treated for specialty disease states. Assistance dollars utilized are much higher and need to be utilized in a smart way to ensure the need is met and the program can support it financially.
Q: What advice do you have for a young professional who has recently launched a career in the 340B space?
Always be the voice that brings solutions/options with data to support them to the table. Many times, progress within an entity’s 340B program gets bogged down in people’s opinions and due to that, programs miss out on growth opportunities. Also, working in a pharmacy at some point in your career will always give you a firm foundation of the day-to-day operations that lays the groundwork for 340B. Although it was stressful, I learned a lot as a pharmacy technician during college.
For questions, Ryan can be reached at ryanrushing@nucleusgroupllc.com.
