The Pharmacy Operators Pod

The Pharmacy Operators Pod is a candid conversation series hosted by Eesha Sharma, CEO of Lamar Health, featuring the leaders and operators shaping the specialty pharmacy ecosystem. Each episode goes beyond surface-level tactics to explore the real stories behind the work: how operators got started, the decisions and tradeoffs they have made, what is broken in today’s workflows, and where they see the industry heading. Through honest, operator-to-operator dialogue, the pod surfaces practical insights, hard-earned lessons, and grounded perspectives on scaling teams, navigating payer complexity, adopting technology, and ultimately improving patient access to therapy.

The Pharmacy Operators Pod is a business podcast hosted by Adrian Martinez, with 6 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Adrian Martinez hosts The Pharmacy Operators Pod, a business show with 6 episodes published.

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  Episode #6

  The Nursing Infrastructure Behind Home Infusion with Ryan Johnson

  May 18, 202647 minS1

  <p></p><p>In this episode of Pharmacy Operators Podcast, Eesha Sharma sits down with Ryan Johnson, founder and CEO of Float Health, to explore one of the most overlooked bottlenecks in specialty pharmacy: nursing infrastructure for home infusion.</p><p></p><p>Drawing on his experience as an ER nurse - and as the son of a specialty pharmacy patient who depended on IVIG therapy - Ryan shares how Float Health was built to solve the operational challenges preventing patients from reliably receiving infusion treatments at home.</p><p></p><p>Together, they unpack why nursing capacity has become...

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  Episode #5

  How AI Is Changing Pharmacy Operations with Harry Travis

  Mar 30, 202633 minS1

  <p>Most pharmacy leaders know AI is coming - but very few understand what it actually takes to apply it in real operations without getting lost in hype, complexity, or vendor noise.</p><p></p><p>In this episode of the <b>Pharmacy Operators Podcast</b>, Eesha Sharma sits down with Harry Travis - former executive at Aetna, CVS Caremark, and Accredo, and a 40-year veteran of pharmacy operations.</p><p></p><p>Harry has seen every major shift in pharmacy - from IV automation to specialty scale and PBM consolidation - and explains why AI is fundamentally different.</p><...

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  Episode #4

  How AcariaHealth Built a Patient-Centered Specialty Pharmacy with CEO Jessica Ciccolella-Kahl

  Mar 16, 202632 minS1

  <p>In this episode of Pharmacy Operators, Eesha sits down with <b>Jessica Ciccolella-Kahl, CEO of AcariaHealth</b>, to explore how specialty pharmacies can build truly patient-centered care within a complex healthcare ecosystem.</p><p>Drawing on experience across both the payer and specialty pharmacy sides, Jessica shares how AcariaHealth works to reduce friction for patients, support providers, and deliver high-quality care at scale.</p><p>Discover how AcariaHealth:</p><p>• Designs operations around the patient journey to improve access, adherence, and outcomes.<br />• Supports providers through innovative roles like <b>Provider Experience Managers</b> that help reduce administrative burden.<br...

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  Episode #3

  The Hidden Infrastructure Behind Specialty Pharmacy with VP of Strategy Scott Hughes

  Mar 2, 202635 minS1

  <p>Most people see a specialty prescription as a script and a shipment.</p><p>Operators know it is an infrastructure problem.</p><p>In this episode of Pharmacy Operators, Eesha sits down with Scott Hughes, VP of Strategy at CareMetx, to unpack the hidden “paper infrastructure” behind specialty pharmacy access - the fragmented systems, manual touchpoints, and operational dependencies that ultimately determine how fast patients start therapy.</p><p>With more than 20 years in healthcare spanning RelayHealth, CoverMyMeds, Phil, and CareMetx, Scott breaks down:</p><p>• Why specialty access is fundamentally different from retail pharmacy<br />• How high-cost therapies drive pa...

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  Episode #2

  How Nufactor Built Near-Zero Employee Churn in a 40% Industry with COO Leslie Vaughan

  Feb 24, 202632 minS1

  <p>Turnover in pharmacy operations can hit ~40% industry-wide. But at Nufactor, teams stay - and performance scales.</p><p>In this episode of <b>Pharmacy Operators Podcast</b>, Eesha sits down with <b>Leslie Vaughan (COO, Nufactor)</b> to unpack what actually drives retention and operational excellence in specialty pharmacy:</p>Invest in operations like an asset, not a cost centerHire ahead of demand so training is real, not rushedSpecialize roles (intake, admissions, re-auth, pharmacy) without creating silosBuild provider trust through consistency and transparencyUse technology to remove repetitive work - not replace people<br /><p>The big takeaway: <b>people +...

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