All Episodes
|
201
|
Dr. Eric Scott

Podcast 201: How the VA Proved The Pharma Model Wrong w/ Dr. Eric Scott, U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs

Mar 6, 2026

Episode Summary

The VA is one of the largest integrated health systems in the country, but it operates unlike anything in the private sector. What can pharmacy leaders and health system executives learn from an organization that has embedded pharmacists into clinical care for decades, given them prescriptive privileges, and built virtual urgent care teams from the ground up? Dr. Eric Scott, Former Chief of Pharmacy, US Department of Veterans Affairs, joins Health Care Rounds to discuss what makes the VA uniquely positioned to innovate, how the evolving role of pharmacists challenges private sector norms, and what a mission-driven health system looks like from the inside.

Episode Notes

The VA is one of the largest integrated health systems in the country, but it operates unlike anything in the private sector. What can pharmacy leaders and health system executives learn from an organization that has embedded pharmacists into clinical care for decades, given them prescriptive privileges, and built virtual urgent care teams from the ground up?

Dr. Eric Scott, Former Chief of Pharmacy, US Department of Veterans Affairs, joins Health Care Rounds to discuss what makes the VA uniquely positioned to innovate, how the evolving role of pharmacists challenges private sector norms, and what a mission-driven health system looks like from the inside.

================================================

🎙 ABOUT DR. ERIC G. SCOTT
Eric G. Scott, PharmD, is an innovative health care leader and recently retired from VA as the founding Chief of Pharmacy at VHA VISN 2 VA Health Connect, a virtual health care center serving the Veterans of New York and New Jersey. Throughout a distinguished 28-year career in VA, Dr. Scott has specialized in bridging the gap between complex clinical services and large-scale contact center technology. As a champion of "upstream" health care, he developed the first-of-its-kind virtual urgent care Clinical Pharmacist Provider (CPP) model and has overseen clinical operations handling millions of annual contacts. His work focuses on pharmacist-led disease management, clinical quality, and the strategic modernization of federal health care infrastructure.

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments.

CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Recommended Next

Podcast 215: Real Health Care Happens Between Doctor Visits w/ Wei-Li Shao, President, Omada Health
Podcast 214: Mailbag: Debunking Vaccines Myths
Podcast 213: Health Care's Affordability Crisis Is Getting Worse w/ Larry Levitt, CEO-Elect & EVP, KFF
Podcast 212: Are We Measuring Health Care Quality All Wrong? w/ Dr. Rachel Werner, Professor of Medicine, UPenn
Podcast 211: The State of Value-Based Health Care w/ John Marchica, Darwin Research Group
Podcast 210: Why Health Care Reform Keeps Falling Short w/ Dr. Elliott Fisher, Dartmouth Institute
Podcast 209: Inside the Rural Health Transformation Program w/ Dr. Tim Ferris, InterSystems
Podcast 208: The Affordability Crisis Behind Value-Based Care w/ Dr. Michael Chernew, Harvard

Recommended Content

Browse Library
INsights
August 31, 2026

Darwin's Our Take 8.31.26: FDA grants momentous approval in pancreatic cancer

Read More
INsights
August 24, 2026

Darwin's Our Take 8.24.26: Moderna, Merck announce positive Phase III trial results for personalized mRNA cancer therapy

Read More
INsights
August 17, 2026

Darwin's Our Take 8.17.26: Trump tries again to revise federal childhood vaccination recommendations

Read More
Stay Aware. Stay Informed.

Subscribe to Our Take

Sign up for Our Take Newsletter: highly curated, expert weekly strategic insights for health care executives.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.