One of my first interactions with compounding pharmacists and their pharmacies occurred after I resigned from hospitalist medicine and began working in private practice. Throughout the middle of the pandemic, I became acutely aware of a nonprofit organization called the Independent Medical Alliance (IMA). They were formerly known as the Front Line COVID Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). The IMA, at that time, was an independent nonprofit organization of physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals gathered towards, “being at the forefront of delivering science-backed protocols and treatment strategies for COVID and beyond” (per their website). As my objective in transitioning from defense (hospitalist) to offense (outpatient, private practice) medicine was aimed at treating and healing those affected by pandemic-provoked illnesses, I started utilizing portions of the IMA’s protocols. So, when I discovered the IMA offering their second inaugural medical conference in Dallas, the Spring of 2023 – I found myself quickly purchasing a weekend ticket and hopping in the car. It was there that I aligned myself relationally with medical professionals likewise seeking missional therapies.
On Saturday night of the conference, the IMA hosted a medical professionals networking dinner. Attending solo, I began handshaking my way through the crowd of attendees. One of my first encounters landed me in front of what I jokingly called, “The Hotze Team” . Dr. Hotze is a renowned physician who owns a concierge practice in Texas called, The Hotze Health and Wellness Center. He and his crew not only service their guests with holistic, functional medicine testing and therapies but they also established an independent compounding pharmacy called Physicians Preference (https://physicianspreferencerx.com/). As I met Dr. Hotze and began contact sharing, he introduced me to one of his lead pharmacists & clinical liaisons, Dr. Bryana Burken.
There’s a quote by Anais Nin stating, “Each friend represents a world in us, a world not possibly born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born”. No truer statement could depict the unfolding of such a story, as fabricated from Bryana & I’s interactions that evening. Bryana, if you are reading this, I credit you with being an essential cornerstone in my professional journey. You enlightened me with options and “new world” therapies that have helped heal and support my patients over the last few years. I am deeply grateful for your personal friendship, our quick “how do we handle this?” day-to-day texting and your professional, educational support.
As I was green to the world of compounding pharmacies & their products, Dr. Bryana walked me through the majority of Physician Preferences’ formularies – a handful of which were geared towards solving the Long-Haul COVID issues with ready-to-go but hard-to-find solutions that my clientele desperately needed. She also hand held me through my questions regarding, “How does a clinician vet a compounding pharmacy?”… questions, admittedly, I had never needed to ask given that my prior experience as a hospitalist had been limited to internally housed pharmaceutical options (and perhaps, a seven or thirty day prescription electronically sent upon a patient’s discharge to a commercially centered pharmacies, ie. CVS, Target or Walgreens).
The following contains excerpts & explanations from Dr. Bryana and I’s email exchanges, conversations and text message threads, used with permission, centered on compounding pharmacy behind-the-scenes understandings. I hope future and prospective clients, along with fellow medical professionals, will find the following comprehension of these elements useful when it comes to interacting with compounding pharmacies, their products and their operations.