Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast

T.J. Woodard didn’t set out to become a voice for pharmacy reform. But from his base in Baton Rouge, LA, he’s helped lead the charge against PBMs and protect independent pharmacies across Louisiana. T.J. joins us to share how his career has evolved from filling scripts to shaping state policy and how he sees the industry moving forward. He offers us a front-row view of Louisiana’s recent PBM victories, the behind-the-scenes negotiations that made them possible, and how other states can follow suit. 

00:00 - Welcome and guest introduction 
01:44 – T.J.’s unexpected journey into pharmacy 
06:19 - Lessons from chain pharmacy to independence 
14:07 - Opening a downtown Baton Rouge pharmacy 
18:42 - Provider relationships that drive growth 
28:18 - Stepping into state pharmacy advocacy 
31:02 - Louisiana’s big PBM reform wins 
42:46 - Pushback from PBMs and rallying support 
46:01 - What’s next: Enforcing the new laws 

Hosted By: Johnathon Duhon | Director of Sales, PioneerRx

Guest: T.J. Woodard | Co-Owner, Prescriptions to Geaux 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

Nearly 9 in 10 pharmacists are at a high risk of burnout, but how do affected pharmacists find a path forward? In this episode, we sit down with Devan Conley, Pharmacist at TrueCare Pharmacy in Concord, NC, to find out firsthand. Devin discusses his journey with burnout—which crept up during COVID and kept on for years, culminating in a struggle with prescription misuse. But, more importantly, Devan shares how he recovered, and how that recovery reshaped the way that he approaches life and pharmacy alike. Today, Devan is a pharmacist at a 340B pharmacy inside a federally qualified health center, launching behavioral health and harm reduction programs so that anyone dealing with similar struggles can find support. Devan’s message is clear: Burnout doesn’t have to be the end of your story but the beginning of a new one. 

00:00 - Introduction to Devan Conley & TrueCare Pharmacy 
02:00 - Burnout During COVID and Its Lasting Impact 
08:40 - Path to Recovery and Regaining His Pharmacy License 
18:50 - Opening a 340B Pharmacy in a Behavioral Health Setting 
26:20 - Expanding Services with Long-Acting Injectables & Women’s Health 
33:10 - Harm Reduction Initiatives and Narcan Program 
47:50 - Lessons in Leadership, Resilience, and Community Impact 
52:20 - Closing Thoughts & How to Connect with Devan 

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

Guest:  Devan Conley | Pharmacist, TrueCare Pharmacy  

Devan’s LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/devan-conley-pharmd-msph-8732b87a/ 

Specialty pharmacy is one of the most critical areas of care—especially for patients with complex and chronic conditions—but scaling the business isn’t always easy. In this episode, Lori Maraist shows how pharmacists can do both. Lori, the Chief Operating Officer at Professional Arts Specialty Pharmacy, shares how she scaled her team from a small operation to a nationally recognized pharmacy with over 100 employees. She dives into how to carve out niches in specialty care, build a strong culture across a large team, and hire intentionally in high-stakes clinical environments. Whether you’re already in the specialty sector or just looking to learn more, Lori’s episode is one you won’t want to miss. 

00:00 - Introduction to Lori Maraist and Professional Arts Pharmacy 

02:11 - Lori’s Early Pharmacy Journey and Leadership Origins 

06:16 - Evolution from Compounding to a Diversified Pharmacy Model  

10:22 - Lessons in Change Management and Staff Buy-In 

14:11 - Clinical Programs and Commercial Product Expansion 

22:14 - National Licensure and Wound Care Specialization 

31:00 - Hiring Philosophy and Building a Scalable Team 

38:42 - Advice for Scaling a Pharmacy and Picking Leaders 

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

        Johnathon Duhon | Director of Sales, PioneerRx 

Guest:  Lori Maraist | Chief Operating Officer at Professional Arts Specialty Pharmacy 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

What does it really mean to question the status quo? This week, we’re sitting down with Dared Price, a pharmacy owner who’s taking PBM reform from South Kansas all the way to Capitol Hill. Dared’s resumé is extensive: he’s started multiple pharmacies, built impressive clinical programs, and created a transparent PBM model that helped over 100 employer groups cut prescription costs. Lately, though, he’s turned his attention to PBM reform—and he’s already making waves: speaking at the White House, meeting with the Federal Trade Commission, and pushing for legislative change in the highest offices. In this episode, we dive into real-world wins in PBM reform, up-and-coming challenges, and how Dared is working to dismantle a broken system to build a better one.  

https://oreadrx.com/ 

00:00 – Intro & Guest Intro  

01:02 – Starting OreadRx  

09:56 – Unbundling Benefits  

14:14 – Working with Employers  

21:22 – Kansas Policy Wins  

28:27 – Speaking at the White House  

36:58 – PBM Market Insights  

42:40 – Future of Pharmacy   

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

Guest: Dared Price | President, Price Pharmacies Inc. 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

Live from the Connect 2025 conference, PioneerRx superuser Rannon Ching shares how he and his pharmacy team are tackling new opportunities in the industry—all by getting their workflow right. He discusses how Texas legislation is opening doors, how you can leverage your team (and residents) to create new programs, and most importantly, how you can make practical workflow fixes to implement those programs. He also talks all things immunizations, organizations, and why pharmacy websites matter more than you think. If there’s one takeaway from Rannon, it’s this: When you free up workflow, you make space for everything else that matters. 

01:14 – Tarrytown & PioneerRx Origin Story 

03:54 – Senate Bill 1236 and Texas Advocacy 

12:28 – Insulin Emergency Supply Bill 

20:27 – Tarrytown's Mid-Year Focus 

26:13 – Internal Operations & Front-End Strategy 

32:02 – Med Sync Success & Staffing Strategy 

44:02 – Residency Program & Leadership Development 

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

        Johnathon Duhon | Director of Sales, PioneerRx 

Guest: Rannon Ching | President and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Tarrytown Pharmacy 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

If there’s one name to know in the fight for PBM reform, it’s Benjamin Jolley. As Co-Founder of Apex Consulting and Senior Fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, Ben has spent years exposing what’s been broken in the pharmacy system—and what can still be fixed. Most recently, he addressed 20,000 attendees at a rally in Salt Lake City to advocate for Breaking Up Big Medicine (breakupbigmedicine.com). This week, Ben joins us on the Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast to talk about all things advocacy, legislation, and fighting for what’s right from the front lines of the pharmacy all the way to Capitol Hill. 

2:45 – Opening discussion on PBM reform momentum 

8:16 – Legislative wins for pharmacy 

11:44 – Banning vertical integration between PBMs and pharmacies 

14:03 – “Break Up Big Medicine” campaign details 

21:37 – Mandatory NADAC reporting: what's required and what it solves 

29:36 – Chain vs. independent pricing: real-world examples of inequality 

36:14 – Helping pharmacies with Medicare plan optimization 

47:51 – Final thoughts and call to action for community involvement 

Benjamin’s Substack: https://benjaminjolley.substack.com/ 

Apex Consulting: https://www.apexpharmacyconsulting.com/ 

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

Guest: Benjamin Jolley | Pharmacist at Jolley’s Compounding Pharmacy 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is making headlines—and it could change the game for independent pharmacy forever. In this episode of the Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast, Mark and Josh break down what’s inside the sweeping budget bill passed by the U.S. House, including a national ban on spread pricing and a push for fair, transparent Medicaid managed care reimbursements. They dig into how these changes could impact independent pharmacies in states like Texas, Arkansas, and Iowa, and how advocacy is paying off in a big way. 00:00 – Big Beautiful Bill Act Overview

00:43 – Medicaid Cuts & Work Requirements

03:38 – Pharmacy Business Impact

04:25 – PBM Reform & Spread Pricing Ban

06:41 – NASDAQ Reporting Challenges

11:08 – State-Level Wins: Arkansas & Iowa

18:57 – Medicare Negotiation Uncertainty

24:05 – Previewing the Connect Conference

Hosted By: Mark Bivins, SVP of Sales, RedSail Technologies | Josh Howland, President of Pharmacy Systems, RedSail Technologies  

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

In this edition of the Pharmacy Survival Guide series, guests Joey Chamberlain, Parker Baro, Rannon Ching, and Mayank Amin share the hard-earned (and well-won) strategies that keep their pharmacies strong. They talk everything from cash pricing to maximizing margins to turning storage closets into profitable clinics backed by medical billing. Packed with practical tips and real-world wins, this episode is a masterclass in doing more with less.  

00:31 – Joey Chamberlain on balancing care and business survival 

03:14 – Should you pay for a pricing solution? Why time is money 

04:08 – Parker Baro on delegation, priorities, and business focus 

07:30 – Rannon Ching on the learning curve of medical billing 

09:54 – Real-time insurance tools and fixing billing blind spots 

12:15 – Why pharmacy-level care deserves provider-level billing 

14:13 – Reframing counseling as consultation for reimbursement 

17:00 – Mayank Amin on profit margins, strategic ordering, and innovation 

20:11 – Competing with Amazon by offering personalized experiences 

22:19 – Diversifying income through clinical services 

23:13 – Buying smart: comparing suppliers and boosting script margins 

24:00 – Understanding retroactive fees and unpredictable clawbacks 

25:19 – Final thoughts: simplify reporting, work smarter, not harder 

Hosted By:  

- Mark Bivins, SVP of Sales, RedSail Technologies  

- Will Tuft | Director of Pharmacy Education & Engagement    

Guests:  

- Joey Chamberlain | President, CEO of Cheek and Scott Drugs 

- Mayank Amin | Owner & Chief Patient Advocate, Skippack Pharmacy 

- Rannon Ching | Pharmacist-in-Charge, Tarrytown Pharmacy 

- Parker Baro | Medication Transitions Specialist at Denver Health 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

What happens when you invest in your people? In this episode of the Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast, Meredy Ayers shares how she went from small-town pharmacy clerk to development specialist at Bremo Pharmacy. She hones in on how technicians are stepping into top-of-license roles—how that’s impacting workflow, revenue, and most importantly, patient care. From building out roles like community health workers and compression specialists to reshaping how teams operate, Meredy makes the case for investing in technicians’ growth. Because when you bet on your people, they become your biggest advantage. 

00:00 – Introduction to Meredy Ayers 

02:34 – In the Pharmacy at 15: Meredy’s Journey 

06:24 – The Story That Shaped Meredy’s Passion for Community Care 

10:44 – Why Investing in Pharmacy Technicians Matters 

14:50 – How Technicians Can Take on New Clinical and Operational Roles 

19:10 – Community Health Worker Certification for Technicians 

23:07 – Deep Dive into Career Growth at Bremo 

36:22 – How to Building Technician Careers 

42:24 – Prescribables 

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

Guest: Meredy Ayers, CPhT-Adv, CHW | Development Specialist, Bremo Pharmacy 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

What’s the secret to scaling a pharmacy while keeping customers first? In this episode of the Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast, Gifthealth’s Amy Edzkowski and Erin Simmons share how their platform has grown from start-up to serving over 200,000 patients. Joined by co-host Hemal Desai, they discuss how Gifthealth uses smart technology, direct-to-consumer delivery, and API automation to make complex medication regimens simpler for patients and providers. Plus, they share insights on managing rapid growth, handling hiring surges, and maintaining personalized patient care in a fast-paced business model. If you want to thrive in pharmacy’s fast lane, don’t miss this one. 

00:40 – Why Gifthealth Is a Unique Guest 

02:15 – Meet Amy & Erin: Gifthealth’s Operations & Product Leads 

06:15 – What Is Gifthealth? Business Model & National Reach 

10:18 – Helping Patients Access High-Cost Meds Affordably 

13:52 – Scaling Fast: APIs, Automation & Efficiency 

18:05 – 200K+ Patients & Building a Collaborative Culture 

21:15 – Hiring in Hypergrowth: How They Staff Quickly 

25:00 – Solving Last-Mile Delivery with Tech 

27:30 – Keeping Patients Connected Through Notifications 

31:45 – Prescribables 

Hosted By: Mark Bivins | Chief Growth Officer, RedSail Technologies 

Guest: Amy Edzkowski | Vice President of Operations & Erin Simmons | Senior Product Manager, Operation Technology 

Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com