A New Kind of Pharmacy
I worked with Pharm-EZ from its inception in August 2010 until its acquisition in October 2013. Introduced to the founder of this project – an ophthalmologist in Central Florida – by a former professor at the Crummer School of Business, I was asked to help make a unique dream a reality.
The founder devised an innovative concept of rewarding patients with chronic conditions like diabetes for making positive lifestyle choices that allow their condition to be successfully managed.
The business driving this program would be a pharmacy, capable of providing the supplies patients need to track their progress and manage their conditions. Due to its ophthalmology origins, the pharmacy would first focus on improving the pharmacy experience for patients in need of medications for eye care.
This project required each area of my expertise. Little more than the idea shared above existed when I joined the project. I worked closely with the founder and a handful of other key associates along the way to build his idea into reality.
Pharm-EZ is now a full-service community pharmacy in the Central Florida area, licensed by the State of Florida. Pharm-EZ employs a core team of executives, a full-time pharmacist, and a host of supporting pharmacy technicians and staff. Pharm-EZ serves ophthalmology patients across the state, with plans to expand into other specialties in the future.
Introducing EZ-Kit
Pharm-EZ’s flagship product is called EZ-Kit. EZ-Kits provide all needed accessories, prescriptions and OTC medications for corrective procedures like LASIK, cataract surgery and more in a briefcase-style format, with custom-made trays prominently displaying and securing each item within.
EZ-Kit helps solve the serious compliance problem faced by many surgeons and physicians serving patients with chronic conditions by including educational materials and clear usage instructions customized on a per-patient and per-physician level.
One of my key accomplishments at Pharm-EZ was the design and development of EZ-Kit. This included working with both offshore and domestic sourcing partners, designing the inserts used to hold medications in place within the kit, designing EZ-Kit branding and labeling, creating key marketing materials used to convey the EZ-Kit concept to patients and physicians and developing the processes used by pharmacy staff to fill EZ-Kit orders.
At Pharm-EZ, I also sourced and branded a line of private label OTC products to supplement its prescription offerings by partnering with premiere manufacturers to ensure superior products.
Doing My Part
I played a central role in the development of Pharm-EZ. Among other tasks, I:
• Composed a 60-page business plan along with multiple rounds of financial projections that allowed the company to meet its goals in multiple rounds of funding.
• Evaluated, selected and implemented the pharmacy’s IT architecture, from the pharmacy management system to the phone refill service, eCommerce platform, in-pharmacy systems and more.
• Developed custom software solutions, including a personalized practice outreach email generator and the system for personalizing the EZ-Kit labels for contents, practice and patient.
• Helped shape the company’s brand identity and build our plan for fostering partnerships with practices and ensuring the best patient care.
• Designed many of the company’s marketing and patient outreach materials, and generally curated the visual identity of the company.
After initially joining Pharm-EZ as a consultant, I eventually became Chief Operating Officer for the company until its acquisition in October 2013, which placed a seven-figure valuation on the company less than a year into full operations.
Below you’ll find a few examples of my work with Pharm-EZ:
