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Pharmacy benefit management

Pharmacy benefit solutions for health plans

We partner with health plans to improve performance—combining transparent pharmacy models, enterprise scale and actionable insights to support better outcomes and more confident decision-making.

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

Headshot of Zack Jacobson

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.

Headshot of Danielle Nichols

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.

Headshot of Joelle Parks

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 

Solution suite

Controlling specialty drug costs

Best for:
  • Brokers and consultants
  • Employers
  • Health systems and hospitals
  • Payers
  • State governments

The cost and complexity of specialty drugs requires a solution that provides care without compromise. The outcome is a better experience and lower costs.

Solution suite

Smart tech and AI for faster, safer, lower cost pharmacy benefits

Best for:
  • Brokers and consultants
  • Employers
  • Health systems and hospitals
  • Payers
  • State governments

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.

Solution suite

Aligned to scale with your pharmacy benefit needs

Best for:
  • Brokers and consultants
  • Employers
  • Health systems and hospitals
  • Payers
  • State governments

Our pharmacy benefit solutions are aligned to your priorities, not the other way around. We work towards them, together.

Solution suite

Open Book: Delivering transparent pharmacy benefits

Best for:
  • Brokers and consultants
  • Employers
  • Health systems and hospitals
  • Payers
  • State governments

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.

Solution suite

Pharmacy benefits backed by data and insight

Best for:
  • Brokers and consultants
  • Employers
  • Health systems and hospitals
  • Payers
  • State governments

We help members, providers and clients act with clarity and confidence — earlier and faster.

Industry insights

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How Optum Rx goes further to promote transparency

We’re redefining pharmacy benefit management with full transparency. Explore how our platform delivers unmatched access to detailed data and insights.

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Building trust in AI: A responsible approach

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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Navigating 3 new pharmacy regulations in 2026

From GLP-1s to vaccines to tariffs, government policies will touch every area of pharmacy services this year.