How Nufactor Built Near-Zero Employee Churn in a 40% Industry with COO Leslie Vaughan

Turnover in pharmacy operations can hit ~40% industry-wide. But at Nufactor, teams stay - and performance scales.In this episode of Pharmacy Operators Podcast, Eesha sits down with Leslie Vaughan (COO, Nufactor) to unpack what actually drives retention and operational excellence in specialty pharmacy:Invest in operations like an asset, not a cost centerHire ahead of demand so training is real, not rushedSpecialize roles (intake, admissions, re-auth, pharmacy) without creating silosBuild provider trust through consistency and transparencyUse technology to remove repetitive work - not replace peopleThe big takeaway: people + process first, then technology. That sequencing is how you get retention, resilience, and real scale.Episode Highlights:00:00 – Introduction & Leslie Vaughan’s journey at Nufactor00:54 – Secrets behind high employee retention in specialty pharmacy03:25 – Defining intake excellence and patient-first operations06:12 – Strategic hiring: balancing foresight, trends, and resource planning09:41 – Specialized roles across the patient journey and avoiding operational silos13:15 – Building provider trust through consistent relationships and transparency15:08 – Focused specialty areas: IVIG, monoclonal antibodies, and patient care strategy19:17 – Leveraging technology to scale operations while supporting teams22:13 – Recognizing and rewarding culture, teamwork, and small wins24:01 – Operational decisions that shaped Nufactor’s success27:02 – First 90 days: onboarding, training, and culture immersion28:21 – Future growth: technology, automation, and improving patient interactions29:55 – Industry insight: profit vs. patient focus and investing in peopleWhy Listen:Learn how a patient-first culture drives operational excellence and retention.Understand strategies for balancing team structure, workflow, and provider relationships.Discover how technology and automation can empower teams without replacing human interaction.Gain leadership insights from someone who has built high-performing specialty pharmacy operations.If prior authorizations are slowing patient starts, Lamar Health automates the PA workflow across your existing systems - reducing rework, delays, and burnout so patients start therapy sooner. Learn more at lamarhealth.com.🔗 Connect with Leslie VaughanLinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/leslie-vaughan-a58b553#SpecialtyPharmacy #PharmacyOperators #PatientFirstCare #HealthcareLeadership #OperationalExcellence #TeamRetention #PharmacyInnovation