About

About the Blog

Getting the results of high quality research into the right hands so it can be used to improve the health of patients is not an easy task.  The focus of this blog is the discussion of the practical application of  outcomes research on pharmaceuticals and pharmacy benefit management through the lens of the plan sponsor.  Why this topic, and why now?  While employers and other purchasers are looking for real ways to improve pharmaceutical care and save money for their members, they are increasingly greeted with propaganda and overpromises rather than scientifically sound and rigorously evaluated answers.

Our plan is to laud those who use the right evaluation methods for pharmaceutical outcomes assessment and call out those who do not and to provide simple tools for decision-makers to increase their knowledge and ability to see through the rhetoric.  Finally, by adding another voice on the side of rigorous analysis, the truth about what works and what doesn’t will continue to crowd out studies that are merely repackaged marketing.

About the Author

Brenda Motheral, BPharm, MBA, PhD, is a management executive and applied researcher who holds a passion for conducting and applying rigorous, unbiased research in the management of pharmaceutical outcomes.   Dr. Motheral has spent the last twenty years in research and product development in the pharmacy benefit and disease management industry as well as holding several academic positions, including a current appointment at The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.  In 2008, Dr. Motheral co-founded CareScientific, an analytics and consulting company aimed at improving the effectiveness of disease management and wellness, medication adherence, and pharmaceutical care programs.

Dr. Motheral has published more than 50 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and received national research awards from both scientific and professional organizations.  Her research program has been awarded grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  Dr. Motheral holds a PhD focused in Health Economics, a Masters of Business Administration, and a B.S. in Pharmacy.