Joel Owerbach, Pharm.D
Dr. Joel Owerbach is Vice President, Chief Pharmacy Officer, for Excellus Health Plans headquartered in Rochester, NY. These plans currently have a membership of 1.8 million members.
Dr. Owerbach is a 32 year veteran in managed care pharmacy. As one of the early innovators in the development of clinical pharmacy programs within managed care, he has pioneered numerous clinical management and specialty programs, including Drug Information (1977), Pharmacokinetic evaluation program (1978), Anticoagulation Services (1979), Home Intravenous Therapy Service (1982), and Terminal Care/hospice programs (1984) among others. Involved informally in research since the 1970's, Dr. Owerbach officially launched the Clinical Research Division within his HMO in 1989 and directed over 25 research trials in that capacity. His pioneering work with the promotion of half-tablet use won the BCBSA Best of Blue Award in 2003 and his leadership and work on organizing regional and national initiatives to promote generic drug use resulted in the prestigious Brian Hayes Leadership Award from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in 2007.
As former President of the HMO Pharmacy Consulting Services, a national managed care consulting company formed in 1987, Dr. Owerbach developed educational programs, conferences, focus and advisory groups, for numerous companies within the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Dr. Owerbach was the founder of the HMO Pharmacy Symposium, which from 1977 until the 1990s was the largest and longest running national educational program for pharmacists in managed care organizations. For these efforts on behalf of managed care pharmacy and pharmacists, Dr. Owerbach was honored with a lifetime membership in the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (1995).
Dr. Owerbach has been active in many national associations and has lectured and presented frequently to physicians, nurses, pharmacists and consumers on medication related topics. He is one of the first pharmacists to be invited to join the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's National Council of Physician Executives and is on the Executive Committee for the National Medical Management Forum.
Dr. Owerbach has had an appointment as clinical assistant professor of pharmacy and on the faculty of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Pharmacy.
