Meet Jeff Jacobs, CPhT
Director, Pharmacy Operations
Hometown ~ Merkel, TX.
Core Values ~ Family, honesty, service, being a gentleman, humor whenever possible, and above all else, my Christian faith.
My Path to Working in Pharmacy ~ My first non-farming job began the day after high school graduation. I worked for a pharmacist from my parent’s church who was the PIC at the new (at that time) Wal-Mart Supercenter Pharmacy in Abilene, TX. A few years later, I had my first exposure working behind the counter for an independent pharmacy owned by my former youth minister, James McCoy, who now owns three pharmacies in Abilene. These men served as my mentors in different stages of my childhood and early adult life and brought the appeal of both pharmacy and quality patient service into view.
A Few of My Duties ~ Among my duties are RxCompass management and all that goes with it - from member enrollment and targeted utilization to platform initiatives and growth. I maintain regular interactions with the EnlivenHealth team to expand member usage of RxCompass and to enhance the platform. I also train the APRx sales team to keep their expertise sharp and ensure knowledgeable delivery of any platform-related initiatives.
I manage relationships with multiple vendor partners, including growth and program enrollment. I actively participate in team discussions on reimbursement and relative performance trending, aggregating data in support of both operational and legislative initiatives. It’s a pleasure to work with many talented individuals internally and across our various partners, including AmerisourceBergen/Elevate. I’ve been blessed with a real opportunity to give back to this industry, which has given so much to me and my family for many years.
My Experience Working at American Pharmacies ~ In a word, phenomenal. It’s exceeded all my expectations and continues to impress and inspire me again and again. Being part of such a dedicated team of leaders with a willingness to act, serve, and advocate for independents has been truly rewarding, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Daily, we are tasked to defend the APRx mission statement of defending, protecting, and enhancing the independent retail pharmacy business model, and quite simply, we do it. As a team, we effect change and make a difference wherever we go and it inspires others to stand shoulder to shoulder with APRx in defense of this indispensable community mainstay.
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All in the Family ~ I come from a long line of Texas farmers/ranchers. Hard work, teamwork, and the value of family all were taught to me at an early age. Growing up, my Dad primarily farmed wheat and cotton, and also served as an elder at his local church. He was a humorous, friendly, kind and generous man and was an enormously positive influence on my life. My mother was a schoolteacher for many years and is the most caring, patient person I know: quick to listen, care and help.
My wife is a very talented and accomplished graphic designer and brand management expert. We’ll be married 11 years this September and she remains my best friend and favorite person. We’ve been blessed with 3 beautiful children: Jude (9), Knox (7), and Presley (5). We’re unmeasurably blessed and live in Springtown, TX, in a farmhouse that my wife designed. We both work from home, so our little family gets to spend a lot of time together -- something for which we are truly grateful.
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In My Spare Time ~ I’m a family man, so spending time with my wife and kids is always at the top of my list. We play sports and games, watch movies, and sometimes just talk. I also enjoy spending time in the kitchen with my wife, who is an excellent cook! Additionally, I enjoy getting together with friends whenever possible and graphic design, which I did professionally for several years.
My bachelor of arts degree is in Film and Video. I was once an aspiring animator, but the phrase “starving artist” is very true. While this ultimately did not serve as a career choice for me, I do enjoy art and am blessed to have inherited the family “artist gene”. My Dad, his brother, my cousin, and others were also blessed with this talent, and I’ve had a lot of fun with it over the years. My favorite is pencil drawing, which I don’t get to do near as often as I did in college, but I still enjoy it. Thankfully, my children appear to have inherited the “artist gene” from my wife and me. It has been a true joy to witness.
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The Future of Pharmacy ~ One of my sincere hopes for independents is to see them truly take control of their businesses and advance beyond the traditional “fill and bill” dynamic. I'm hopeful that they embrace a mindset where the pharmacy defines the workflow versus the workflow defining them. I'd like to see them grow and diversify their capability and suite of services to ensure prosperity and growth wherever possible.
I also hope that independents can continue to maintain core aspects of the pharmacy business whether or not there’s a global pandemic. Consistency is a key element for success, making it critically important for pharmacies to maintain tried and true initiatives that yield real, measurable growth. Finally, I hope to see more supporting companies in this industry take up a similar mantle of advocacy to that of American Pharmacies.
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