CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This morning Waltz Health, a digital health company developing smarter, technology-enabled ways to price, distribute and prescribe medications, announced the appointment of its first President, healthcare industry veteran Jeff Park. The news demonstrates Waltz Health’s rapidly expanding market presence and momentum across the healthcare ecosystem, which now includes several, nationwide payer clients and pharmacy chains with thousands of locations nationwide.
Park is a seasoned leader in healthcare, technology and innovation whose career includes senior executive positions at many industry leaders. Formerly the Chairman and CEO of independent pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) WellDyneRx, Park’s experience gives him some of the deepest knowledge and connections within the prescription drug supply chain. He also has extensive experience working together with Waltz Health Co-founder and CEO Mark Thierer leading high-growth companies. Park previously was COO of PBM industry titan OptumRx where Thierer served as CEO. Both joined OptumRx following the blockbuster $13 billion merger with Catamaran, a company where Thierer was CEO with Park serving as COO following his role of as CFO.
“I’ve worked alongside Jeff for years, and I know he not only understands every nuance and misalignment within the prescription drug supply chain, but he also appreciates how technology and innovation can be powerful tools for positive transformation,” said Thierer. “As we continue to expand our footprint across the payer and PBM landscape, Jeff will be an invaluable asset to our leadership team.”
Waltz Health recently announced an expansion into the payer marketplace, bringing its innovative Marketplace Search application to health plans, PBMs and self-insured employers. The company also signed its first national health plan partner, a major PBM that supports millions of members nationwide.
“Waltz Health has an incredible opportunity to bring down prescription drug costs for millions of Americans through innovative technology solutions, but that will require close collaboration with the established and often adversarial incumbents to demonstrate the value that our solutions can bring to every side,” said Park. “I’ve seen firsthand how convoluted the entire drug-pricing system is, but if there’s any company that has the bench of industry leaders to drive change, it’s Waltz. I look forward to working with Mark and the entire Waltz team to rewire the prescription drug supply chain.”
At Waltz Health, Park will be responsible for accelerating the company’s technology-enabled payer strategy and positioning in the space. He also will work closely with leadership to architect the company’s strategic growth path, in addition to developing trading partner relationships and helping the company deliver on its operational excellence metrics.
Waltz Health’s flagship product is Marketplace Search. Powered by artificial intelligence, Marketplace Search includes a powerful engine that analyzes disparate and confusing information that includes medication prices, healthcare services, and outcomes data across a number of sources. The proprietary technology presents the most relevant and appropriate prescription information for healthcare consumers on behalf of their health insurer, PBM, pharmacy or employer when selecting and paying for medication. It can be white-labeled and can be optimized for each healthcare organization’s needs.
Beyond Marketplace Search, Waltz Health also is engineering solutions to combat rising specialty drug costs, which are one of the fastest-rising costs in the healthcare industry.
About Waltz Health
Waltz Health is a digital health company developing smarter tools that support better-informed decisions on prescription care. Designed for consumers, payers and pharmacies, the company offers AI-driven marketplaces to lower costs, giving consumers access to better pricing options and more information while helping payers take control of their pharmacy benefits. Founded in 2021 by Mark Thierer and Jonathon Thierer, Waltz Health is headquartered in Chicago and is backed by GV, Define Ventures, Echo Health Ventures, Blue Venture Fund, Byers Capital and Twine Ventures. For more information, visit www.waltzhealth.com.
