Health Care Rounds

#54: Building an in-house specialty pharmacy within an IDN with Brett McClain

Episode Summary

This week, John sits down with Brett McClain, chief operating officer for Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he recently oversaw the launch of Dignity’s systemwide specialty pharmacy. Brett speaks to the development of the specialty pharmacy through a strategic partnership, his take on how pharma engages with the health system, the Dignity-CHI merger, and more.

Episode Notes

This week, John sits down with Brett McClain, chief operating officer for Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he recently oversaw the launch of Dignity’s systemwide specialty pharmacy. Brett speaks to the development of the specialty pharmacy through a strategic partnership, how pharma engages with his health system, the Dignity-CHI merger, and more.

Speaker Bios
Brett McClain is the Chief Operating Officer for Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and St. Joseph’s Westgate Medical Center. Brett has been with Dignity Health since 2008. His career spans nearly 25 years of health care management experience overseeing various hospital and medical clinic operations. He is an active leader within St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center with roles in a variety of operational and strategic committees and councils. Brett earned degrees in both finance and marketing from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Regis University. He is a Fellow of the National Association of Public Hospitals and board member of Catholic Charities.

John Marchica is a veteran health care strategist and CEO of Darwin Research Group, a health care market intelligence firm specializing in health care delivery systems. He’s a two-time health care entrepreneur, and his first company, FaxWatch, was listed twice on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing American companies. John is the author of The Accountable Organization and has advised senior management on strategy and organizational change for more than a decade. John did his undergraduate work in economics at Knox College, has an MBA and M.A. in public policy from the University of Chicago, and completed his Ph.D. coursework at The Dartmouth Institute. He is a faculty associate in the W.P. Carey School of Business and the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, and is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

About Darwin Research Group
Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as health care providers, private equity, and venture capital firms. The company was founded in 2010 as Darwin Advisory Partners, LLC and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. with a satellite office in Princeton, N.J.