Clayton Edwards
Early memories can leave the deepest of impressions.
Clayton Edwards ’90 recalls growing up in rural Pennsylvania where health care in the area was poor. He saw too many of his family members pass away before the age of 60. So when his grandmother passed while he was in high school, Edwards decided to do something about it and began on his path to becoming a pharmacist.
“Someone needed to get them the medications they needed to stay alive,” he says. And it’s that goal that has carried Edwards forward since earning his diploma from ACPHS.
Following graduation, Edwards spent a year as a community pharmacist before moving to Medco, a mail order pharmacy company. For Edwards, the move wasn’t about the 9-5 work schedule; it was about the opportunity to concentrate on the clinical aspects of pharmacy without, as he says, having to help customers find the motor oil.
During his time at Medco, he assisted both patients and physicians by transcribing, checking for interactions, and working to find cost savings by identifying similar drugs in the same therapeutic class. After a few years, Edwards moved to disease management, working with patients with diabetes, asthma, allergies, and more, counseling them on the proper use of their medications and the potential side effects.
“We saw their ailments slowed or managed better if people took their medication properly,” Edwards says. “We saw amazing outcomes with people who had been wheelchair bound and were now able to walk. It brought me great satisfaction to be able to help people understand their medications and play a part in improving their quality of life.”
In his final role at Medco, Edwards continued to ensure those who needed medication were able to receive and afford it, partnering with legislators on the development of the Medicare Part D program. He was able to approach the policy from a pragmatic point of view because he understood firsthand how seniors were actually taking their medications.
In 2005 Edwards moved to Liberty Healthcare Group in their Clinical Pharmacy Operations department, then to UnitedHealthcare (UHC) in 2011. With each new position, he was able to positively impact more and more people.
“UHC has the largest Medicare population in the country.” The departments Edwards ran had more than 6,000 employees who took more than 10 million calls per year, processed over 20 million prescriptions per year and made roughly six million prior authorization determinations annually.
In 2016, Edwards joined Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, but left after a year to be with his ailing father before he passed. Edwards is currently operating his own consulting business and spending more time with his family, which includes a daughter who is a senior in high school and looking at colleges.
As he looks ahead towards his next opportunity, he says, “It all goes back to that initial drive. I want to be in a position where I can help people access good quality health care that will improve their lives.”