Leading Pharmacy into the Future

As chief pharmacy officer of Select Health and Scripius, Matt Mitchell is redefining what pharmacy leadership looks like in an era of rapid change. From championing biosimilars and technology to expanding the role of pharmacists in integrated care, Mitchell is steering pharmacy services toward a future where clinical excellence meets market disruption.

Mitchell’s journey in managed care pharmacy can be traced back to his years at Utah State University as an undergrad. His early volunteer experiences sparked a desire to blend service with strategy. “I became a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and soon realized I enjoyed helping people, but wanted to work further upstream. I have always liked business, so pharmacy seemed like a good fit for me,” Mitchell recalls.

That insight led him to pursue a PharmD degree at Idaho State University. He spent five years working part-time at Walgreens and joined Select Health full time in 2004. Since then, Mitchell has steadily advanced from clinical pharmacy coordinator to chief pharmacy officer.

“When I was first hired, I was clinically focused, and over the past twenty years, my responsibilities have evolved to with more P&L responsibility,” he explains. “During my tenure, Select Health has increased its customer base six-fold.”

Mitchell has been instrumental in that growth, including helping the healthcare company establish Scripius, a stand-alone pharmacy benefit manager, which has significantly expanded Select Health’s scope of business.

Select Health emphasizes an integrated healthcare delivery model and under Mitchell’s leadership, pharmacists are empowered to practice at the top of their licenses within this model. “A key factor to enable this is through improved efficiencies, so we incorporated AI into workflows where pharmacists receive work on clinical decisions that need to be made,” he says. “This ensures their time is focused where it should be.”

Mitchell notes technology is playing a growing role in pharmacy services. “It is quickly evolving,” he explains. “One of the things we have done well is adapt to market needs.” For example, Select Health introduced a new product recently, Pharmacy Compass, which enables members and providers to review drug options in real-time, see exact out-of-pocket costs, and send prescriptions to the pharmacy of their choice—providing flexibility to make changes without calling.

GLP-1 therapies have also been a big focus in the industry and Select Health has consistently had one of the lowest cost trends in the country. “We were the first in the US to implement preauthorization with very strict, yet clinically appropriate, criteria behind even brand name cost-effective therapies,” Mitchell explains. “Our ability to contract directly with manufacturers differentiates us from other PBMs and we are the only PBM with this type of GLP-1 contract.”

In his role, Mitchell is charged with a large, cross-functional pharmacy team, aligning effectiveness across internal pharmacists, technicians, and external partners. He places a huge amount of trust in those he leads.

“The most important part is getting the right person in the right position at the right time,” he shares. “Once we’ve established mutual trust, then I am hands-off. They have full autonomy to make decisions and involve me only when needed.”

For example, a pharmacist who grew her career at Select Health was offered a promotion but was hesitant to manage a team. “We talked it through, and with short-term oversight, she got up to speed, gained more confidence making decisions and managing people, and she has exceled in her role,” shares Mitchell.

Michell’s effective leadership has been a key factor in his success as he has advanced in his career at Select Health. He sets high expectations for his team, while setting even higher expectations for himself.

“I think the key is adapting to new situations and to never stop learning,” he says about his success. “To advance in this role, you have to understand new markets.”

Looking ahead, he’s excited about upcoming innovations in pharmacy services that will shape the future of healthcare delivery.

“The ability to offer more transparency will change the way the market shops for PBMs, enabling plan sponsors to make decisions relative to their specific business,” he says. “That will create a truer PBM-Client partnership allowing strategic decisions with near real-time implementation.”

Additionally, he’s excited about the use of smart, adaptive technology to help members make informed, cost-based decisions. Mitchell says, “Plan sponsors will reap the rewards of these valuable tools too.”