Vinay Bhargava, PharmD, was placed as the chief pharmacy officer of UNITE HERE HEALTH, a mission-driven Taft-Hartley Trust Fund serving more than 200,000 union workers and their families in the hospitality, food service, and gaming industries through national, multi-state benefit plans. Its “private label” PBM, Hospitality Rx, is a wholly owned subsidiary that was launched in 2016. In his role, Vinay will provide the strategic direction and operational oversight to Hospitality Rx, leading clinical pharmacy operations, analytics functions of the PBM, and partner relationships. Vinay also works collaboratively with the Fund’s growing Culinary Health Fund in Las Vegas to provide oversight of all pharmacy benefits services to their members.
Before joining UNITE HERE HEALTH, Vinay served as the director of pharmacy programs for Molina Health Care in Oak Brook, Illinois. In this capacity, he managed all pharmacy operations for the health plan, including call center operations, utilization management programs, and clinical programs, and was responsible for the build-out, implementation, and maintenance of several disease management programs. Vinay also served as the interim AVP for quality improvement at Molina, with responsibility for the oversight of all critical quality functions, credentialing, and medical record reviews. During his tenure with Molina, Vinay introduced a number of cross-departmental programs and key initiatives aimed at and successfully improving safety and reducing costs.
Previously, Vinay served as the director of pharmacy programs for Advocate Physician Partners in Mount Prospect, Illinois, and as a regional pharmacy director for UniCare/Wellpoint in Chicago. He began his career as a pharmacist with Walgreens and Health Alliance Medical Plans in Champaign, Illinois.
Vinay earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and his Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Illinois at Chicago, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacists, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
QLK’s Patti Hall led the search to recruit Vinay to UNITE HERE HEALTH.
