By Layten Praytor and published in D Magazine

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas reduced turnaround times at its pharmacy from more than a week to 48 hours, expanding access to free medications for uninsured patients.

When the leaders at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas Charitable Pharmacy reviewed its metrics earlier this year, they noticed one glaring problem: Uninsured patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol had to wait eight to 10 days to receive medication after the pharmacy received the prescription.

CEO Luis Gonzalez knew something had to give. Not only was that timeline impractical, but it also ran counter to the organization’s mission. “We realized we were at a critical juncture,” Gonzalez said. “Having folks wait for medications for chronic illnesses that long defeated our own mission.”

The nonprofit responded by partnering with Delaware-based TJM Labs to implement Hank AI, named for its founder, Hank Herman. The program automates time-consuming backend processes—previously, staff manually entered prescriptions into the management system.

By the first month of implementation, the pharmacy reduced prescription turnaround times from more than a week to only 48 hours. Despite the challenges of turnaround times, the improvement comes as the pharmacy reaches new milestones. Since launching in 2018, St. Vincent’s pharmacy has dispensed more than 500,000 30-day equivalent prescriptions valued at more than $150 million to approximately 9,500 uninsured patients.

“We’re trying to remove that from the equation,” Gonzalez said of the difficult choices many patients face. “We’re talking about people that are literally having to make decisions between rent or medication, food or medication, utilities or medication.”

Unlike traditional pharmacies, St. Vincent’s serves uninsured patients who earn less than 300 percent of the federal poverty line. For a family of four, that’s about $97,000. Most prescriptions are shipped to patients, removing the transportation barrier of in-person pickup.

Gonzalez said roughly 80 percent of patients receive their medication via mail. In turn, he said compliance rates have jumped to 80 to 85 percent because patients no longer feel the need to ration medication or put off refills due to cost concerns.

Over its eight-year run, St. Vincent’s pharmacy has grown. It filled just a few hundred prescriptions in its first year. Now it dispenses about 95,000 prescriptions annually and partners with more than 200 clinics and hospital systems across Texas, as well as North Texas providers.

As part of its freestanding charitable model, the pharmacy can accept referrals from a broader range of organizations, rather than being bound to a single hospital system. Because of rapid growth, the pressure to keep up with demand led to the implementation of Hank AI.

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