Bioscript was founded to solve a specific problem. In 2001, a research study of a drug delivered by infusion—that is, directly into the bloodstream via IV—was being conducted at a New Brunswick hospital, but the space was needed for something else. To help complete the study, pharmacist David Ford — who would soon found Bioscript — set up an infusion clinic at his pharmacy. It was so well-received that he started opening other clinics in New Brunswick.
In Canada, hospitals are generally set up for acute therapy—not the long-term maintenance therapy required by those with autoimmune diseases, some chronic conditions and cancer. When it comes to infusion therapy, community or private health networks fill that gap. At the time Bioscript was founded, an infusion clinic was relatively unique; they’re more common today, but that hasn’t stopped Bioscript from scaling to more than 100 clinics, 13 pharmacies and 1,000 employees. Its success, according to Ford, isn’t just about the advanced development and increased use of infusion drugs. It’s down to a specific formula that keeps patients front and centre, even as the company grows.
“Patients who need infusion therapy, especially when they’re newly diagnosed, are in a vulnerable position. Coming to need these specialized services can be very traumatic and anxiety-inducing,” says co-founder Andrew Steeves. “It’s important that they have time to ask questions to stay fully informed about their care plan.” At Bioscript pharmacies, when new patients get onboarded, they get an average of 51 to 59 minutes of face time with pharmacy staff. Anyone who’s been to a regular retail pharmacy knows that’s far from typical.
But the company has had to make sacrifices to keep its patient-focused values intact. “As we scale up, hiring people who share our passion for patients while having all the requisite skills is the biggest challenge,” says CEO Lisa Matar, who was president at Eli Lilly before moving to Bioscript in 2023. “When you want to grow, time is of the essence, and it can be tempting to move fast and hire people who have the right hard skills, but aren’t necessarily a cultural fit. One of the things I love about Bioscript is that we don’t do that here. We’re very deliberate about not compromising our patient-focused culture, which can mean saying no to people who are otherwise amazing.”
Hiring at Bioscript includes behavioural assessments and structured interviews to filter candidates accordingly; after that, training is heavily values-focused. That extends to leadership. In the past 12 months, the company hired a new CEO and CIO. Bioscript worked with a search firm, and the process took a fair bit longer than was ideal, but that’s just how long it took to find the right candidates.
Technology centred around the patient is another big part of the picture. Tech meant to increase the efficiency of a clinic or pharmacy isn’t exactly a new approach. What’s different here is that it’s specifically designed to eliminate rote work — not just to ramp up volume, but to free up frontline staff to give them more face time with patients.
“When we serve a patient with cancer, or a rare or chronic disease, we try to deeply understand their needs,” says Ford. “We’re heavily involved with patient advocacy, and promote community engagement among our employees across the country. Taking a proactive approach to understanding the people we serve is what makes us so good at patient care.”