It was a chance encounter, but it sparked a multistate business that now fills a critical gap in rural health care.
More than 20 years ago, Michael Azzolin PHARMD ’02 and Andy Barrs MFR ’02 ran into each other while checking their mail at their shared apartment complex in Athens. The two had grown up in neighboring towns—Azzolin in Hawkinsville and Barrs in Cochran—but had not connected in some time. They weren’t talking business, just catching up. That reunion would eventually lead to the creation of PharmD On Demand, a company that provides remote pharmacy services to its clients, ensuring medication orders that come through hospital pharmacies are reviewed by a licensed pharmacist even when one is not physically on site.
The idea grew out of Azzolin’s experience as a pharmacist. After graduating from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, he worked in both large and small hospitals. In larger facilities, a pharmacist reviews every medication order that comes in around the clock. At smaller ones, the pharmacy staff is often gone at night and on weekends, meaning if an error occurs, no one is there to correct it.
“I noticed that more medication errors were happening whenever we weren’t there,” Azzolin says. “And my dad died from that exact scenario. There was no pharmacist, a doctor ordered a medication, and the nurse grabbed the wrong one. Had a pharmacist been there to verify it, she would have grabbed the right medication, and that never would have happened.”
So Azzolin began logging in from home during evening hours, reviewing scanned physician orders, and calling nurses or doctors if something seemed off.
That personal commitment became the foundation for PharmD On Demand. Azzolin says the company intervenes about 20,000 times a year across the 40 hospitals it serves, preventing potentially deadly medication mix-ups or prescribing errors.
“If a patient is prescribed a medication that they do not need, it’s our job to call and change it,” Azzolin says. “In no way should these small communities have lesser care,” Barrs says.
Barrs, who earned a civil engineering degree from Auburn University and a Master of Forest Business from the Warnell School of Forestry, brought experience in investment strategy and operations. Before co-founding PharmD On Demand, he founded Principle Centered Investments, a real estate firm, and now serves as CEO of Barrs Industries, a family-founded investment company. Over time, PharmD On Demand has evolved, now managing hospital pharmacies and overseeing federal drug discount programs. A sister company, Aletheia Health Partners, launched four years ago, provides services outside the pharmacy department. Aletheia currently manages two hospitals in Georgia and offers financial management services, human resources consulting, and management support.
PharmD On Demand’s ties to UGA remain strong. Thirty-nine employees—about 15% ofthe company’s workforce—are UGA alumni, and the Watkinsville-based company regularly hires interns from the university.“We feel very fortunate to be in proximity to the university for the talent that we’re able to get before they graduate,” Barrs says.
Many of the company’s team members serve as preceptors for the College of Pharmacy, mentoring students during clinical rotations. The company also works directly with UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine, reviewing medication orders for the veterinary hospital after hours. Looking to the future, the founders hope the company can continue to support hospitals and adapt to whatever challenges rural health care presents next.“There are a lot of communities that we’re not in yet, and our mission is to find a way to help improve their patient care and improve the quality of life in those communities. It’s a big goal, but we’re taking good, solid steps one day at a time to get there,” Barrs says.