See how our approach delivers results
Explore how we bring together transparency, scale, advanced insights and strategic partnership to help health plans improve outcomes, manage total cost of care and strengthen performance.
How we deliver value
Open‑book transparency
Clear pricing, explainable clinical decisions and audit‑ready data designed to support confidence, governance and regulatory needs.
Scaled solutions for performance
Apply enterprise scale and network reach to help control costs, improve access and deliver consistent pharmacy outcomes.
Insights that drive better outcomes
Advanced analytics and clinical insights identify opportunities across pharmacy and total cost of care.
Partnerships that support growth
Ongoing collaboration to adapt pharmacy strategy, strengthen market position and support long‑term growth and retention.
Meet the team
Zach Johnson serves as President of the Health Plan Division at Optum Rx, where he leads growth, retention, and strategic partnership initiatives across the health plan market. He oversees a cross-functional organization spanning sales, client management, and account leadership, with accountability for some of the industry's most strategic health plan relationships.
With extensive experience across Express Scripts, Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG), and Optum Rx, Zack has held leadership roles in sales, consulting, contracting, underwriting, and actuarial services. His broad industry background enables him to help health plans navigate complex pharmacy benefit challenges while advancing business growth and client outcomes.
Recognized for his pragmatic and results-oriented leadership style, Zack is committed to understanding the root causes of client and business challenges, fostering accountability, and driving measurable results. He is passionate about building trusted partnerships, mitigating risk, and aligning teams to execute on strategies that deliver long-term value.
Zack holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall School of Law.
Dr. Danielle Nichols is responsible for health plan business development across the western half of the United States. She has more than 15 years of business development and account management leadership expertise in managed care and specialty pharmacy.
During her tenure with Optum Rx®, Dr. Nichols has focused primarily on supporting health plan clients and prospects as a clinical consultant and sales leader for OptumRx specialty pharmacy. Prior to joining Optum Rx in 2015, she served as senior director of account management at Catamaran and clinical manager for Catalyst Rx.
Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, an MBA from Bellevue University and Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.
Joelle Parks serves as Vice President of Growth & Retention for Optum Rx, where she leads strategies that help health plans grow, retain, and strengthen pharmacy benefit relationships. In this role, she partners closely with health plan leaders to deliver transparent, high-performing pharmacy solutions that improve affordability, access, and member experience.
Joelle brings more than a decade of experience across sales leadership, growth strategy, and client engagement within Optum and UnitedHealth Group. Her background spans sales strategy, business development, learning and development, and client management, giving her a holistic understanding of how to align pharmacy benefit design with health plan goals.
Before joining Optum, Joelle built a foundation in communications and storytelling through roles in broadcast journalism, an experience that continues to shape her collaborative, insight-driven approach to client partnerships.
Explore our PBM solutions
Controlling specialty drug costs
The cost and complexity of specialty drugs requires a solution that provides care without compromise. The outcome is a better experience and lower costs.
Smart tech and AI for faster, safer, lower cost pharmacy benefits
Optum Rx AI and advanced technologies automate work, cut costs and fix issues early. Clients, members and providers get simpler experiences from start to finish.
Aligned to scale with your pharmacy benefit needs
Our pharmacy benefit solutions are aligned to your priorities, not the other way around. We work towards them, together.
Open Book: Delivering transparent pharmacy benefits
Transparency is how we operate on a daily basis, from independent clinical decisions to pass-through economics and real-time clarity at the point of care.
Pharmacy benefits backed by data and insight
We help members, providers and clients act with clarity and confidence — earlier and faster.
Industry insights
Video
We’re redefining pharmacy benefit management with full transparency. Explore how our platform delivers unmatched access to detailed data and insights.
Article
At Optum Rx, we’re using AI responsibly — fairly, safely, ethically — to make health care easier and better for the people we serve.
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From GLP-1s to vaccines to tariffs, government policies will touch every area of pharmacy services this year.