H. D. Smith Appoints Mark de Bruin Corporate Vice President Managed Care

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- H. D. Smith, the fourth largest national pharmaceutical wholesaler, announced today the appointment of veteran industry leader Mark de Bruin as corporate vice president managed care.  De Bruin brings to H. D. Smith 29 years applied pharmacy and managed care experience, his senior and strategic-level pharmacy benefits management, marketing and business development leadership.  In his new position at H. D. Smith, de Bruin will be responsible for the Company's Third Party Network, creating and maintaining an alliance of prescription and healthcare service providers focusing on initiatives to support quality patient outcomes, provider reimbursement and achieve sales and profit goals.

"Our Third Party Network is one of the many solutions H. D. Smith developed to address efficiency and reimbursement demands facing community pharmacies," said Chris Smith, chief operating officer of H. D. Smith.  "Mark's retail pharmacy experience, cultivated at Rite Aid Corporation, together with his significant managed care and pharmacy government affairs acumen will spark growth and development of the network to the benefit of our customers."

H. D. Smith's Third Party Network acts as liaison between pharmacies and healthcare plans, demonstrating strength in numbers and negotiating comprehensive rates and services for customers.  The Third Party Network empowers community pharmacies by providing services and support enabling these small-to-mid-sized pharmacies to stay competitive in the rapidly changing healthcare marketplace.

An expert in managed-care services, de Bruin most recently served as Chief Executive Officer at Asteres, Inc, providing patented automated technology solutions to retail pharmacies, grocery stores, hospitals and the military. An impressive resume with increasing responsibility within retail pharmacy and managed care precedes; former employers and roles include Rite Aid Corporation where de Bruin served as Executive Vice President, Pharmacy; Albertsons/American Stores serving as Vice President, Pharmacy & Managed Care; and RxAmerica/American Stores serving as President and General Manager.

De Bruin is a registered pharmacist in Utah, Pennsylvania and California.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Utah.  De Bruin has also served on numerous industry boards, including the Federal Medicaid Commission, and holds professional affiliations with well-known industry associations.

About H. D. Smith

Headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, H. D. Smith is the largest privately held national full-line, full-service wholesaler that provides a complete line of pharmaceuticals, OTCs, HBAs, home healthcare products, durable medical equipment, seasonal merchandise and a wide array of marketing programs to retail pharmacies, regional chains and health systems. The company has distribution facilities in California, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Texas that service major markets throughout the United States.  Additional information about H. D. Smith can be found at hdsmith.com.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110705/NY29617)

Contact:

Allison Worrell
H. D. Smith
Marketing Communications Manager
217-753-1688
[email protected]

Mark Marmur
Makovsky + Company, Inc.
Assistant Vice President
212-508-9670
[email protected]

SOURCE H. D. Smith