Meet Bob Schumaker, Vice President of Operations at PHIL

As VP of Operations at PHIL, Bob Schumaker champions a collaborative approach that brings together healthcare stakeholders to improve patient care. Drawing from his extensive background, Bob has spent the last five years building and scaling PHIL's partnership operations with a laser focus on improving patients' lives.

Can you tell us a little bit about what your role as VP of Operations entails? 

I oversee the fulfillment side of the business, which has two main parts. First, we have a network of partner pharmacies that dispense medications to our patients. I work with our pharmacy partners to ensure they understand and follow our established rules, business agreements, and best practices. Second, I manage the wholesale arm of our business, supporting manufacturers with their patient access programs. I've been in this role for five years, and during that time, we've seen incredible growth – PHIL has grown more than twelvefold since I joined!  

What inspired you to join the Phil team?

For me, it came down to two major factors – the work fit and the mission – that inspired me to join. 

I was really drawn to working in a managed marketplace or partner network where the interests of all parties – the patients, the partners, and the company – were aligned. I wanted to be part of an organization where stakeholders worked together seamlessly in a well-designed network. PHIL offered exactly that. As with any technology company, your core solution also has to work in order to be successful, and ours works exceptionally well.

Most of all, I wanted to help people, and we do that by making patients' lives easier.

You've transitioned from retail operations at companies like Target and Macy's to tech-enabled operations at PHIL. What key lesson from traditional retail has proven most valuable in the digital health space?

The biggest lesson is to not be afraid of repetition. People are busy and there's a lot of information to process. Healthcare can be complex – when something's important, you need to be clear, consistent, structured, and often, repetitive. People often ask for guidance to navigate both healthcare itself and the operations behind it.

For me, repetition means explaining something in a way that sticks, and doing the right things well, over and over again. Our job is to make people’s lives easier – we aspire to keep everything clear and accessible for patients, providers, and partners, and provide timely reminders throughout the process to ensure everyone stays informed. 

Have you had the opportunity to collaborate with your colleagues from different departments? If so, how would you describe the experience?

Yes, in operations we always have opportunities to work with many different departments, and this is especially important in healthcare where there are several stakeholders – patients, HCPs, manufacturers, payers, pharmacies and more. PHIL does a great job of setting up subject matter experts for each of these stakeholders. Because of this structure, any patient journey requires working with a large team to ensure we're doing the right thing at each step.

Having the chance to work with a significant portion of the company, I truly appreciate all the smart, talented people here who want to do good work and make things better for patients. It's valuable to work with colleagues who bring different perspectives because it prevents you from developing tunnel vision about your own processes. Everyone keeps the shared goal – helping patients access their prescribed medication more easily and affordably – in mind as we work through each step.

On a personal note, how do you like to spend a day off when you have no plans or obligations?

If my kids are off too, that definitely impacts how I'll spend my time! With a six-year-old and a three-year-old, it's pretty busy and attention-focused. If I have time to myself, I'll probably go for a hike and read a book, enjoy some quiet solitude. It really depends on who's around, but if the family's home, we'll spend the time together doing activities.

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and why?

I would probably choose the ability to speak and understand every language. It would be incredibly useful, and bonus – it’s not the kind of power that would get me kidnapped by the government!

Interested in joining the Phil team? Check out our company page to discover our exciting job opportunities.