About PHSL
Who We Are
About PHSL
Founded in 1996 as Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (PHSI), the company transitioned to Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions, LLC (PHSL) in 2019. PHSL provides pharmacy consulting solutions in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, product and program development, market research, operational efficiency, drug compendia support, claims data analysis, and training program construction.
Women Owned
PHSL is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) by WBENC East, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
Ann Johnson, PharmD, 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, 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 both Ohio Northern University and Shenandoah University. 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 participated in AMCP’s Digital Therapeutics Advisory Group. She also a member of 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 Times, Pharmacy Technology & Management Review (PTMR), Computer Talk for the Pharmacist, Medhealth Outlook, and Inside Patient Care.
Melissa Sherer Krause, PharmD, 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.
Timothy E. Kosty, RPh, MBA, 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.
Donald J. Dietz, RPh, MS, 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.
Karlo Zovko, BS, Director of Business Development
Pittsburgh native Karlo Zovko enters his first year on the Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions staff as the Director of Business Development.
Karlo’s responsibilities include developing new business opportunities and fostering client relationship functions for PHSL. Karlo also brings his experience with communications and social media to help enhance PHSL’s interactions with clients, prospects, and industry colleagues.
Karlo comes to PHSL after initially working in the collegiate athletics industry, working for the Pitt Football Program for 7 years. Initially joining the Panthers as a recruiting assistant, Zovko was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2019 and has been instrumental in luring talent to Pitt that produced consecutive Top 25 finishes and 20 combined wins over the past two seasons.
During the 2016-17 academic year, Karlo was a football recruiting graduate assistant at the University of Toledo. Toledo’s 2017 recruiting class was rated the best in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) by 247Sports, Rivals and Scout.
Zovko is a 2012 graduate of Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in marketing from Duquesne University in 2016.
David Schuetz, RPh, Senior Consultant
Mr. Schuetz has been working in pharmacy for over forty years. He 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 served as a 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). Dave has been active in NCPDP serving as WG2 Product Review & Billing Unit Exception Task Group co-lead. He was also a member of the NDC Scarcity Task Group and has served as Vice Chair for the NCPDP Annual Conference Planning Committee.
Patricia Milazzo, RPh, 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).
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, RED BOOK, 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 analysis, 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), the National Council of Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), 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.
Ashley Gibbons Ellek, PharmD, 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 focus in drug compendia forecasting and classification, pharmacy reimbursement including MAC pricing, 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. Ashley is a member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). She is also an APPE preceptor for LECOM Erie School of Pharmacy and LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy.
Logan Graham, PharmD
Dr. Graham began working in pharmacy in 2019 and joined the PHSL team as a pharmacist consultant in 2024. Logan’s areas of focus include drug reimbursement, market intelligence, drug and clinical compendia analysis, USP compliance assessment and auditing, and dynamic pricing models. He has experience in retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, home-infusion, quality management, and managed care.
Logan received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Foundations degree from Duquesne University in May of 2024. He also received a Master of Business Administration degree from Duquesne University in August of 2024. While at Duquesne, Logan was recognized for scholastic achievement through Rho Chi and was involved in the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA), and Phi Delta Chi (PDC), a professional pharmacy fraternity. He is an active member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) and the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.
Danielle Wu, MBA, Specialist
Danielle Melito Wu has over 20 years of experience in strategic management consulting and corporate strategic development and execution. She came to PHSL in 2021 from a Sr. Consulting role at CSI Specialty Group where her focus was on specialty pharmacy growth/savings opportunities and operations and pharmacy network strategy. 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.
At PHSL, Danielle works on a variety of projects including specialty pharmacy, pharmacy network strategy, wholesaler bid analysis, 340B contract pharmacy auditing, rebate tracking, and formulary analysis.
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.
Our Mission
PHSL provides innovative consulting solutions that improve the profitability of our healthcare clients. Integrity and respect is imperative in all relationships with clients and employees. We strive for excellence in all projects and endeavor to become invaluable advisors by continually expanding our industry knowledge.
Our Philosophy
We focus on solving your business challenges by asking thought provoking questions to gain insight into the dynamics of the situation before researching, analyzing and creating solutions for our client’s consideration. We are confident that project results will convince clients to reach out and engage PHSL when their next business need arises.
Our Clients
PHSL clients are comprised of many worldwide pharmaceutical manufacturers including 7 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world by revenue. PHSL also provides consulting support to a host of notable managed care organizations, retail pharmacy chains, pharmacy benefits managers, and software companies.
Pharmacy Consulting
Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions, LLC (PHSL) consults with pharmaceutical manufacturers, PBMs, pharmacies (retail, specialty, mail service, LTC, and hospital outpatient), and technology companies on strategic business and marketing issues. Consulting projects across these market segments provide PHSL with the latest information on emerging trends as well as new products and services. Our consultants have extensive retail, mail service and managed care experience to create actionable recommendations for our clients’ challenging business issues.
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