Team Bios

Ann Johnson, PharmD

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President

Dr. Johnson is a partner at Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions, LLC and began working for PHSL in 2010.   Ann works on a variety of projects, with a current emphasis in analytics and pricing reimbursement, financial models, drug compendia review and product launch support, indirect manufacturer contracting, contract review, 340B program assessment and auditing, PBM RFP support, policy and procedure writing and review, operational assessments, and market research.  Ann has experience in independent retail pharmacy as well as specialty, clinical, industry, and ambulatory care pharmacy.

Ann received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Duquesne University and graduated with a concentration in Pharmacy Management.  She is an APPE preceptor for the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy and Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. Ann previously served as the treasurer and fundraising chair for the Allegheny County Pharmacist Association (ACPA) and is actively involved in the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association (PPA). She is a member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacists (AMCP), where she participates in AMCP’s Digital Therapeutics Advisory Group.  She in an active member in the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP), National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), and the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP).  Ann has written numerous articles and been published in several pharmacy journals including, Specialty Pharmacy TimesInside Patient Care, and Computer Talk for the Pharmacist.

 

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Melissa Sherer Krause, PharmD

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Vice President

Dr. Krause is a partner in Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions, LLC.  Melissa’s areas of focus include drug compendia and classification, drug file integration in pharmacy management systems and electronic health records, pharmaceutical manufacturers’ trade channel and managed care initiatives, medication adherence, Medicare Part D operations and risk management, consumer focused education opportunities, and pharmacy school and professional association relations.  Melissa has experience in retail and clinical pharmacy, pharmacy administration, government affairs, and professional associations.  She joined the PHSL team in 2004.

Melissa completed her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Duquesne University, with a Pharmacy Management concentration.  Melissa is also an APPE preceptor and Field Instructor for Duquesne University School of Pharmacy.

Melissa is involved in various boards and professional organizations, including Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA) Educational Foundation Board, Allegheny County Pharmacists Association (ACPA) Ambassador, Duquesne University Pharmacy Alumni Association, Lambda Kappa Sigma (LKS) Tau Alumni Chapter, National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the North Hills Toastmasters Club Chapter of Toastmasters International.  In 2016, Melissa was honored by Duquesne University School of Pharmacy with the Recent Graduate Alumnus Award.

 

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Timothy E. Kosty, RPh, MBA

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Co-Founder

Mr. Kosty has over thirty years of pharmacy experience, predominantly in upper level management positions with TDI Managed Care Services, Thrift Drug, Inc. and Rite Aid Corporation. His professional experience includes retail pharmacy and PBM operations, information technology, rebate contracting, pharmacy network development, claims processing, third party contracting, account management and financial analysis.

Tim closely evaluates marketplace initiatives to assure that incentives are properly aligned, producing project outcomes that exceed client expectations. He focuses on applying technology to solve business problems and increase operational efficiency while lowering operating costs.

Tim received a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Pharmacy from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Pennsylvania State University.

He is an active member in the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, American Pharmaceutical Association, American Society for Automation in Pharmacy, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs.

 

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Donald J. Dietz, RPh, MS

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Co-Founder

Mr. Dietz has been working in pharmacy for thirty-eight years, with the last 22 years as principal at PHSL. Prior to PHSL, Don held headquarter management positions with Giant Eagle Pharmacy and TDI Managed Care Services, a subsidiary of Thrift Drug.

His extensive professional experience includes: retail pharmacy operations, pharmacy network contracting, PBM operations, prescription claims processing, MAC file support, manufacturer rebate contracting, manufacturer LOE initiatives, pharmacy intervention programs, drug compendia, managed markets training programs, and expert witness for cases involving retail and managed care pharmacy. Don’s emphasis is in marketing program development, implementation, and measurement, delivering the clients’ desired results. His focus is on solutions that enable clients to effectively manage the appropriate use of both prescription and OTC products.

A native of Pittsburgh, Don received a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and a Masters of Science in Human Resource Management from LaRoche College.

Don is an Field Instructor at Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, and is on the Alumni Board of Governors for LaRoche College. In addition, Don serves as a pharmacy preceptor for sixth year APPE Pharm D candidates. He is an active member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), National Community Pharmacy Association (NCPA), and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), and American Society for Automation in Pharmacy.

 

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David Schuetz, RPh

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Senior Consultant

Mr. Schuetz has been working in pharmacy for over thirty years. He has held headquarter management positions with Giant Eagle Pharmacy (Pittsburgh) for eleven years prior to joining PHSL in 2001.  His diverse professional experience includes independent and chain retail pharmacy operations, mail service pharmacy, pharmacy network contracting, prescription claims processing, pharmacy auditing, account management, intervention program development, and pharmacy training.

Dave’s areas of expertise are pharmacy practice management, electronic ordering systems operations, testing, training, documentation and deployment. He also specializes in pharmacy database and drug file management, and serves as subject matter expert in pharmacy data warehousing.

Dave received a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and is presently an active member of the National Council of Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) and the National Association for Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).

 

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Patricia Milazzo, RPh

Patty Milazzo

Senior Consultant

Mrs. Milazzo has 30 years of healthcare professional experience in the PBM (Prescription Benefit Management) and clinical drug information industries. Patty held operational and quality leadership positions at Wolters Kluwer Clinical Effectiveness, CVS Health, and Baxter Healthcare prior to recently joining Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions.  She has extensive experience in quality drug information products and services for domestic and international healthcare companies and professionals.   Patty has strong expertise in drug pricing, pricing methodologies, market trends, and government regulatory standards surrounding drug information. She has overseen formulary development and management, participated in PBM client benefits processes, and has had operational responsibility for domestic and international drug data. She is an articulate industry public speaker, white paper and blog author, and representative with healthcare and standard organizations.

Patty received a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Pharmacy from Purdue University.  She has held various leadership positions in National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) and Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) and is an active member of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP).

 

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Alan Sekula, PharmD

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Consultant

Dr. Sekula has been working in pharmacy since 1999 and has been with PHSL since 2003. Alan’s areas of focus include the drug compendia (Medi-Span, First Databank, and Cerner Multum) and the forecasting and interpretation of drug classification and product attributes, MAC pricing, generic drug launch analysis and forecasting, data and process analysis, dynamic model creation,  prescription claim adjudication and reimbursement, rebate analysis, pharmacy practice management systems, and pharmacy business processes. His experience is comprised of community, hospital, specialty, long term care, and managed care pharmacy.

Alan completed his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Duquesne University in May 2005.  He was recognized for scholastic achievement through Rho Chi and the Dean’s List.  Alan is an active member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) and the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP). Alan is an APPE preceptor for The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and a PGY-1 Managed Care Pharmacy Residency preceptor for UPMC Healthplan.

 

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Ashley Gibbons Ellek, PharmD

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Consultant

Dr. Ellek began working in pharmacy in 2007 and joined the PHSL team as a pharmacist consultant in 2011.  Ashley works on a variety of projects, with a particular focus in MAC pricing, pharmacy reimbursement, and generic drug forecasting. She has experience in retail pharmacy, managed care, specialty, and hospital pharmacy at various institutions.

Ashley received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Duquesne University in May 2011. While at Duquesne, she was involved with Kappa Epsilon, a professional pharmacy fraternity. Ashley is a member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). She is also an APPE preceptor for LECOM Erie School of Pharmacy, LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy, and the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy.

 

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Danielle Wu, MBA

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Specialist

Danielle Melito Wu has over 20 years of experience in strategic management consulting and corporate strategic development and execution. She comes to PHSL from a Sr. Consulting role at CSI Specialty Group where her focus was on specialty pharmacy growth/savings opportunities and operations. Prior to CSI, Danielle held roles at Aetna, Inc. as Chief of Staff/Head of Business Performance for Aetna’s Specialty Pharmacy and Home Delivery Pharmacy businesses, with a focus on strategic planning, operations improvement including vendor/facilities transition, and opportunities for pharmacy growth/vertically integrated PBM savings.

Danielle’s broad strategic management experience includes Marketing Manager in charge of leading a local product marketing team at Dell, Inc. China, Senior Risk Analyst at a major northeast utility, Management Consultant to Fortune 500 companies at Towers Perrin, and Business Strategy Research Associate at Harvard Business School.

Danielle earned a BA in Public Policy from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago with concentrations in Finance, Strategy, and International Business. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

 

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PHSL Team

Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions, LLC. currently employs eight pharmacist consultants and a team of support staff. Our pharmacist consultants have experience in a wide variety of practice settings and specialize in diverse areas of pharmacy practice.

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