Home $ Member $ Philip Nerti, Chairman of the Board

Mr. Nerti has more than 30 years of professional experience encompassing retail, hospital, and health systems operations, financial planning and analysis, system integration, pharmaceutical purchasing and negotiation strategies, pharmaceutical distribution operations, and strategic planning. Mr. Nerti has worked with integrated delivery networks, pharmaceutical manufacturers, specialty pharmacy distributors, drug wholesalers, hospitals, chain drug stores, and retail pharmacies.

Mr. Nerti joined Highmark late in 2011 to lead the development of the pharmacy programs that will support the newly formed Highmark Provider Group. He is part of the team that introduced the ProtoCo companies to the market in May 2012.

Prior to joining Highmark, Mr. Nerti was Director of H.C. Pharmacy Central, Inc., where he led the business for 27 years during which time the company grew from a $10 million to a $500 million annual enterprise. The business provided group purchasing and distribution services for the shareholder and client members with a focus on building efficiencies in the pharmaceutical supply chain. The company produced market leading pricing for its members based on annual independent benchmarking in comparison with national group purchasing organization.

Mr. Nerti led an integration group that developed systematic methods for managing the transition from a stand-alone procurement process to an integrated model. The model included the integration of clinical, administrative, and financial experts across a diverse membership and resulted in a more efficient pharmaceutical supply chain. These efforts were instrumental in supporting the development of the UPMC Pharmacy program.

Working closely with all of the pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and specialty distributors, Mr. Nerti established a network of access to pharmaceuticals in short supply. A strategy was developed under the direction of Mr. Nerti to maintain direct purchase access to the largest of the manufacturers and all of the specialty manufacturers. The result has been the uninterrupted supply of the most critical pharmaceuticals during periods of extreme short supply.

Mr. Nerti has served as a preceptor for the Pharmacy Programs at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University as well as for the Schools of Business at Duquesne University, The Pennsylvania State University, and California State University. He served on the Committee of The Andy Russell Celebrity Classic and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Arsenal Family and Children’s Center.

Philip received an MBA from The University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business in 1983 and a BS in Pharmacy from Duquesne University School of Pharmacy in 1977. His Continuing Education in Operations Management from Kellogg School Northwestern University.