Building on the shared mission of its sister organizations to build a patients-first pharmacy future, Good Shepherd Health Institute is a collaborative, informational hub for pharmacists, patients, providers, payers and advocates who seek to improve health care by putting patients first. We freely share insightful journalism, expert commentary and informational research to shed light on the issues facing our pharmaceutical and health care industries today. But GSHI was not built in a day. It’s the result of the hard work and dedication of our founders and employees. Scroll to learn about our journey.
Our History
2013
Deeply concerned by his experience in retail pharmacy, Phil Baker forms the nonprofit Good Shepherd Health to help address disparities in access to necessary medications.
2015
The nonprofit organization launches Good Shepherd Pharmacy in Memphis, Tennessee. The pharmacy operates outside insurance, with patients in need enrolling as members. Patient members then receive their necessary medications at-cost or free.
2017
Driven by the sheer volume of medication waste in the United States – while many patients go without – Phil successfully partners with the Tennessee General Assembly to shepherd a new medication donation law into action. The law allows anyone in the United States to donate unused, unopened, unexpired, good condition oral chemotherapy medication to approved Tennessee facilities.
2019
RemediChain, a nonprofit focused on medication reclamation and reuse, launches on the heels of Tennessee’s new donation law. The organization aims to collect and dispense unused, mint-condition medications to patients who might otherwise go without. RemediChain focuses first on high-value, often-wasted, lifesaving oral chemotherapy medications.
2021
In the retail world, Pharmacy Benefit Managers have begun to control medication access for many Americans. Problems with price transparency and spiraling costs lead Good Shepherd to reimagine pharmacy services for employers, and HaloScrips is born. The company becomes a concierge pharmacy and PBM alternative for self-funded employer health plans, significantly cutting costs for both payers and patients by providing prescriptions at true acquisition cost.
2023
Recognizing the lifesaving mission and groundbreaking impact of medication reclamation and reuse for cancer patients, the McKesson Foundation provides a 12-month grant to RemediChain to support the organization’s goal to double its reach in 2024.
At the same time, Phil again celebrates a legislative success with the passage of Tennessee’s Kevin Clauson Drug Donation Act, which expands the types of medications eligible for donation and the eligibility criteria for patients in need to receive those donated medications.
2024
In pursuit of its goals to transform the industry, Good Shepherd creates a collaborative platform to help others become advocates in the patients-first pharmacy movement. The platform, Good Shepherd Health Institute, launches with the release of several research studies and resources, including the drug donation pilot program with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and a three-year prescription transfer study to shed light on an administrative problem plaguing both pharmacies and patients nationwide.
Meet the Shepherds
PHIL BAKER, PharmD
Founder
A Christian, a husband, and a father of six, Phil considers his role at Good Shepherd a vocation. After working in a community pharmacy, Phil became deeply troubled by the fact that millions of Americans cannot afford their prescriptions, while tons of those same prescriptions get thrown away every year. So he’s working to change that in pursuit of a patients-first pharmacy future. Phil believes pharmacists should be compensated based on the value they create, not the cost of the prescriptions they administer; that every patient deserves access to necessary prescription medication; that we can reduce prescription waste; and that together we can create opportunities to fundamentally redefine the pharmacy industry. Connect with Phil on LinkedIn.
MICHELL ZULU, PharmD
Chief Operating Officer
As the chief operating officer at Good Shepherd Health Institute, Michell applies her skills and knowledge as a pharmacist to improve the health and well-being of the underserved. In her role, Michell leads the day-to-day management of pharmacy operations, counsels patients, and handles population health programs for Good Shepherd and its sister organizations. Her mission is to make a positive impact on the lives of Good Shepherd members, customers, and partners, and to advance the field of pharmacy. Connect with Michell on LinkedIn.
SACHIE STOVER
Chief Customer Officer
In her role at Good Shepherd, Sachie pursues her passion for serving those around her and helping them through her expertise in customer relations. Through various roles in customer service and office management positions, she’s learned the importance of putting her interpersonal skills to the best use while serving a bigger purpose – a patients-first pharmacy future. Connect with Sachie on LinkedIn.
LIZ ROBINSON
Program Director
It’s not easy to find a job doing what you love, but Liz enjoys helping people, and that’s her role at Good Shepherd. A cancer survivor herself, Liz’s vast experience in customer service and relations has provided her with a specific set of skills that now support the (literally) lifesaving work of matching donated medications with patients in need at RemediChain, a subsidiary of Good Shepherd Health Institute. She serves as a primary point of contact for nurse and patient navigators; pharmacists; physicians and individual patients who seek to donate medication or who need help getting their prescriptions. Connect with Liz on LinkedIn.