MCS names first chief pharmacy officer
Health care company MCS announced the appointment of Carolyn Rodríguez-Rivera as its first chief pharmacy officer (CPO), as part of the company’s continuing effort to strengthen its corporate structure and market position in Puerto Rico’s medical plan industry.
The position of CPO was created to “seek innovative solutions to address the challenge of high pharmacy out-of-pocket costs for patients, representing 30% to 40% of the total health care expenditure and which are expected to continue to increase,” the company stated.
Rodríguez-Rivera, who is a member of the executive leadership team, served as MCS’ executive vice president of the Pharmacy department over the past five years, directing and managing the department’s operational processes and business strategies related to pharmacy benefits across all MCS business lines.
“Dr. Rodríguez has vast experience in the pharmaceutical field and has been a fundamental part of the success we have had at MCS as the first and only five-star plan in Puerto Rico, in addition to the fact that, under her leadership and the work of her team, the Pharmacy department also achieved five stars in Medicare Part D by 2024,” said MCS CEO Jim O’Drobinak.
“Last February, MCS Classicare positioned itself as the preferred option among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries on the island, which joined the increase in the commercial plan segment. Dr. Rodríguez’s management of the Pharmacy department was instrumental in the company’s achievements. Without a doubt, MCS has the best executive team among all health plans in Puerto Rico,” he said.
Rodríguez-Rivera began her career at MCS in 2005 as director of Clinical Pharmacy and, in August 2010, was promoted to auxiliary vice president of the Pharmacy department. She continued to climb the ranks to become executive vice president of the department in 2018.
“It has been almost 20 years working at MCS, and to see where we have come as a company is a source of great satisfaction and pride. I’m very grateful for the support of our CEO, Jim O’Drobinak, and the Board of Directors,” said Rodríguez-Rivera.
“Likewise, I thank the Pharmacy department team. The role and performance of our department are vital as a health plan to provide excellent service to our members and providers. I take on this new assignment with great responsibility and enthusiasm,” said Rodríguez-Rivera, who, before joining MCS, already had experience in specialized pharmacies, community pharmacies and health plans.
Rodríguez-Rivera holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences (RPH) from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctorate in pharmacy from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She also earned a master of jurisprudence in health law in 2016 from Loyola University in Chicago.
